There have been allegations that Russian troops used white phosphorus, which is deadly to humans, in Bakhmut, a battleground in eastern Ukraine.

On the 6th (local time), the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense posted a video on Twitter of the city engulfed in flames, claiming that Russia had used white phosphorus in the unoccupied area of Bakhmut.

The BBC, which analyzed the footage, said it was unclear when it was filmed, but that the location appeared to be near a children's hospital west of downtown Bakhmut.

It was supposedly taken with a drone, and the video also showed a high-rise building burning in flames.

The BBC added that some type of incendiary bomb was used in the attack, but could not specify whether white phosphorus was used.

White phosphorus is a bomb made from white phosphorus, an allotrope of phosphorus (P).

White phosphorus is often used in flares and smoke grenades, but white phosphorus for killing people is a type of incendiary bomb that uses fire or flames to destroy targets.

Simply put, it's a weapon that burns down your surroundings.

The raw material itself is extremely toxic, and when it comes into contact with oxygen and catches fire, it generates tremendous heat, flashes, and smoke, which has a fatal effect on the human body.

Once combustion begins, it sticks sticky to the human body and cannot be easily extinguished.

Water is useless, and bandaging and removing it can reignite.

The use of incendiary bombs in civilian settlements or crowded civilian facilities is prohibited under international law.

These prohibitions are contained in the 1949 Geneva Convention, which has been ratified by almost all major countries, including Russia, Ukraine, the United States, and China, and the 1980 United Nations Convention on the Prohibition of Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW).

But white phosphorus is different.

Because the main enemy is in the "smoke screen", unlike incendiary bombs, they are outside the control of international norms.

Ukraine has accused Russia of using white phosphorus on civilian facilities since the beginning of last year's siege of Mariupol, but Russia has denied it, saying it "has never violated international conventions."

(Photo=Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Twitter capture, Yonhap News)