Disturbing footage captures 'horrible' attack on Ukraine village: 'Pure evil'

Disturbing footage has emerged online showing what appears to be a shower of thermite bombs raining down on a Ukrainian village as the war with Russia rages on.

It comes as Vladimir Putin makes a new nuclear weapon threat to the West, prompting the US to threaten a "devastating strike" in retaliation.

Thermite is an incendiary weapon said to be used by both Russian and Ukrainian forces, this time over the village of Ozerne in the Donetsk region, which was liberated just weeks ago.

It's not known who was responsible for the recent weapon strike.

Video footage circulating online shows streaks of white light high in the sky before falling down onto houses and buildings below.

The killer chemical is said to burn through flesh on contact and cause respiratory problems. It also sets fire to anything it lands on.

It's not known when the alleged attack took place but the location has been confirmed and verified, according to reports.

Ukrainian MP Roman Hryshchuk was one of many who shared the footage online.

"This is horrible," he wrote.

Rob Lee, a Russian defence policy specialist at King's College London's Department of War Studies, also shared a video of the attack.

"There are a number of videos showing what looks like incendiary munitions used on Donetsk tonight," he said.

Some experts and social media users have speculated that the munitions contained white phosphorus instead of thermite.

White phosphorus is a toxic substance produced from phosphate-containing rocks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While technically not illegal under international law, and often used in combat, it is considered a war crime "when it is found to have been used to deliberately target civilians", Amnesty International's Nikita White previously explained.

Defence expert Marina Miron, from King's College London, said video of the attack "most certainly shows thermite, not phosphorus munitions", Nine News reported.

"Similar attacks have been witnessed since 2014," she added.

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In March this year, the Ukrainian Military Centre claimed that Russian troops had used 9M22S incendiary munitions in Popasna, in Luhansk province, Newsweek reported.

They allegedly said the effect of "these flammable munitions and lighting munitions is often confused with phosphorus munitions".

People on Twitter have been left outraged by the footage, with one user calling it "pure evil."

Another called it a "very serious crime".

Putin's new threat to the West

The attack on Ozerne comes as Putin doubles down on his threat to the West.

He said he'll use "all the means at our disposal" to protect Russia if its territory was threatened.

While he has threatened the use of weapons of mass destruction in the past, this time "it's not a bluff", according to the Russian ruler.

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