Ammunition with white phosphorus was released on Tuesday from Russian positions on a deserted area near the city of Chasau Yar in the east of Ukraine.

This was reported by AFP journalists.

Two shells were fired five minutes apart at around 4:45 p.m. on the road leading to Bakhmut, the center of the longest battle of the past year.

Behind the whistling sound of the shells were explosions of ammunition.

They released small burning balls of white phosphorus that slowly fell to the ground.

Falling phosphorus set fire to the forest on both sides of the road in an area equal to the size of a football field.

AFP could not confirm whether the target was a position held by Ukrainian forces, but a green truck with a white cross (USU identification mark) was parked near a road in the area of ​​the fire.

The nearest houses are about 200 meters from the outer edge of the affected area.

Ammunition containing phosphorus is an incendiary weapon, the use of which is prohibited against civilians, but it can be used against military targets in accordance with the 1980 convention signed in Geneva.

Kyiv has repeatedly accused Moscow of using phosphorus munitions since the beginning of the war, including against civilians, which the Russian army categorically denied.