Russian forces drop most powerful non-nuclear bomb on Volchansk

The Russian forces dropped what is believed to be a FAB-9000 high-explosive fragmentation aerial bomb on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Volchansk, the Kharkiv region. 

The FAB-9000 is known as the most powerful non-nuclear bomb in the arsenal of the Russian Armed Forces. The bomb is known as Slon ("Elephant"). 

"Something very powerful. Apparently, a FAB-9000 hit Volchansk,” military correspondent Andrey Rudenko wrote on his Telegram channel.

Yet, a message posted on the Iznanka Telegram channel said that the video showed the use of a FAB-1500 bomb.

Kyiv completed the evacuation of people from Volchansk and its environs in early July. According to local authorities, less than 30 people refused to leave the city.

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The FAB-9000 is a Soviet-made aerial bomb. FAB stands for Fugasnaya Aviatsionnaya Bomba ("high-explosive aerial bomb") and 9000 stands for the weight of the bomb in kilograms. It is one of the heaviest bombs of the Soviet Air Forces and the Russian Aerospace Forces. It was developed in the early 1950s, and further modified later in the decade. It was produced by the Soviet Union and Iraq, where it is designated NASR-9000.