Has Putin unleashed the world's most powerful non-nuclear bomb?

Video of an enormous explosion in Ukraine has led to speculation over whether Russia has deployed the so-called 'Father of all Bombs' - the world's most powerful non-nuclear bomb that Moscow has previously claimed to have in its arsenal.

Footage of the blast shows a massive explosion and ball of fire erupting into the air - followed by a towering thick column of smoke rising high over the already heavily damaged village of Vovchansk, in Ukraine's besieged Kharkiv region.

There has been no official confirmation or denial from Moscow as to whether the 'Father of All Bombs' has been used, but the footage has driven speculation online.

Some have suggested the clip shows a blast from a ФАБ-9000 - or 'ODAB-9000'.

Others suggested it was the feared Father of all Bombs (FOAB), which Russia once boasted was more powerful that the US-made GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, also known as the Mother of all Bombs. 

The massive explosion comes as Russian troops seized the strategic town of Vuhledar - 170 miles to the south in the Donetsk region - from the Ukrainians, after a furious fight over many months.

Russia continues to make incremental gains in eastern Ukraine despite Kyiv's valiant resistance, but the possible introduction of the feared ODAB-9000 bomb would demonstrate Vladimir Putin's growing frustration with the lack of progress.

FOAB 

Country: USSR/Russia

Developed: 2007

Nickname: Father of all Bombs (FOAB) 

Type: Thermobaric bomb

Mass: 7,100 kg (15,650 lb)

Length: Unknown

Filling: High explosive aluminium powder and ethylene oxide mix

Filling weight: 4,297 kg (9,473 lb)

Blast yield:  44 tons of TNT

GBU-43/B MOAB 

Country: USA

Developed: 2003

Nickname: Mother of all Bombs 

Type: Aerial bomb

Mass: 9,850 kg (21,715 lb)

Length: 9.2 meters (30 feet)

Filling: H-6 explosive

Filling weight: 8,500 kg (18,739 lb)

Blast yield: 11 tons of TNT 

According to Russia, the FOAB creates a blast that generates intense pressure and heat, which can be lethal even to individuals sheltered inside buildings or bunkers. 

It is designed to destroy enemy positions over a wide area - over a 900 feet radius - including entrenched infantry and lightly fortified structures.

The fuel-air explosion creates a prolonged blast wave and a vacuum, which can collapse buildings and cause internal injuries to those in its radius. 

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However, some experts have doubted whether the bomb has been used.

Sources say that FOAB is so heavy that it would have to be deployed from a Russian strategic bomber - for example the Tu-160, Tu-95 or Tu-22M3.

The aircraft would have to come so close that it could be shot down by a surface-to-air missile, and no movement of these bombers was recorded.

Ukrainian source Colonel Vitaliy Sarantsev said the claim over that the FOAB was used may be a Russian bid to demoralise the defence forces 'intimidating the local population and destabilising the region'.

Spokesman for the Kharkiv Regional Military Command also denied the claim.

Despite this, Pool number 3 Telegram channel, with 343,000 followers, has claimed the bomb was indeed the infamous weapon.

They said: 'The Ukrainian Armed Forces have never been hit like this….the video shows the Russian army using an ODAB-9000 vacuum bomb with an explosive mass of over 7 tons. 

'It is considered to be the most powerful non-nuclear munition in the world.'

War analyst Sergei Karnaukhov, with more than 147,000 followers, echoed this report.

Political analyst Yury Baranchik, with 72,000 followers, said: 'In Volchansk, the Russian army used the FAB-1500 vacuum bomb for the first time - according to other sources, the ODAB-9000.

'The media calls this bomb one of the most powerful non-nuclear munitions in the world - which is true….

'The estimated mass of the explosive is 7,100 kg. Although there is little official data on this munition, the external effects are obvious.'

With Putin's 72nd birthday coming up next week, Russian officials routinely seek 'presents' for his birthdays, and one might be this new bomb.  

Meanwhile, Ukraine confirmed yesterday that it was withdrawing forces from Vuhledar in Donetsk region in order to protect the army and equipment.

The seizure of the town is seen as a major victory for Moscow. 

Vuhledar is situated on a railway which connects the area to the Russian occupied Crimea to the rest of Eastern Ukraine. 

It is also seen as a key stepping stone towards the complete Russian takeover of the Donetsk region - which Russia has claimed sovereignty over since September 2022.  

The strategic victory follows the Russian army's fastest advancement across eastern Ukraine in more than two years. 

News of the village's capture also came as a Russian glide bomb struck a five-story apartment block in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, injuring at least 12 people including a 3-year-old girl, local officials said Thursday.

The bomb hit between the third and fourth floors of the building on Wednesday night, igniting blazes, Kharkiv regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. Firefighters searched for survivors through smoke and rubble.

The city of Kharkiv, located around 18 miles from the Russian border, has been a frequent target of aerial attacks throughout the war against Russia that is now deep into its third year.

Glide bombs have become an increasingly common weapon in the war. They have terrorized civilians and bludgeoned the Ukrainian army's front-line defences.