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.

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