Russian occupiers shelled nitric acid cisterns near Rubizhne, wind pushes acid fumes toward Russians

[Nevilledog]

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Hromadske Int.
@Hromadske
·
Apr 9, 2022
The occupiers again hit the nitric acid storage tank near Rubizhne in Luhansk Oblast. Local authorities urge people not to go outside, close windows and prepare protective masks soaked in soda solution


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Hromadske Int.
@Hromadske
UPD: After Russian occupiers shelled nitric acid cisterns near Rubizhne (Luhansk Oblast), the wind brought 4 tons of the acid fumes towards Russian military positions near Kudriashivka and Varvarivka (Luhansk Oblast)
10:26 AM · Apr 9, 2022

Oops

[Ocelot II]

1. Oops.

[tanyev]

2. Now that's what you call blowback.

[2naSalit]

3. I hope that...

Most of the military personnel downwind get a great big dose.

[The Unmitigated Gall]

4. "I'll take "choking orcs" for ten-thousand, Alex..."

[ColinC]

5. Like the dumbest adversary ever

[Calculating]

6. Even the wind hates Russia apparently

...

[grumpyduck]

7. Pissing in the wind?

[Nevilledog]

8. That'd be clouds of uric acid

[gldstwmn]

9. Chemical warfare.

Vlad sure acts like he is trying to provoke NATO.

[Poiuyt]

10. As a former chemist, I can tell you that nitric acid fumes are REALLY bad!

Of course, they be diluted outside in the wind like that. But still

[Marcuse]

11. The same army that dugout contaminated Chernobyl soil.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

12. Goddammit, Walter!

[Mr. Evil]

13. Is Russia just a country full of stupid idiots?

This is what happens when you arm complete and total morons.

"Breathe deep the gathering gloom." (From: The Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin/Late Lament)

[eppur_se_muova]

14. Nitric acid reacts with lots of things to produce red-brown NOx, but from the color of that smoke ..

I have to wonder if that isn't "red fuming nitric acid" (RFNA), which contains as much dissolved NO2 as it will hold. Used as an oxidant in some missles. As you might expect, it fumes even more strongly and is more dangerous to inhale than pure nitric acid.

https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Red_fuming_nitric_acid

[Nevilledog]

15. More video

Link to tweet

[eppur_se_muova]

17. On the lower right, that *really* looks like NO2/N2O4 -- very orange.

Ignore the journo's caption about a "nitrogen tank".

RFNA is hypergolic with some fuels, including hydrazines -- that is, it ignites on mixing. In the presence of the right metal salts, even more mundane fuels can form hypergolic mixtures w/RFNA. So that could have added to the energy of the explosive, particularly if there were fuels stored nearby (as at a missle armory).

[bif]

16. Sweet!