Putin faces war crimes probe as he's accused of using banned lung-rupturing cluster bombs in Ukraine

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have announced they will investigate Russian leader Vladmir Putin’s bombardment of civilians in the northeastern city of Kharkiv as a war crime.

Large scale attacks on Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, have taken place this morning, as well as throughout the day on Monday.

It has been alleged by Ukraine’s ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova that Putin used banned cluster bombs and thermobaric weapons during Russian bombardment of civilian areas.

Cluster munitions release smaller bombs when they land that are extremely dangerous to civilians, and are widely banned.

Thermobaric or vacuum bombs suck in oxygen to generate a higher temperature explosion that sets off a pressure wave rupturing the lungs of victims.

Following Monday’s attack Markarova said in a meeting with lawmakers: "They used the vacuum bomb today...The devastation that Russia is trying to inflict on Ukraine is large."

There were 11 reported fatalities and many wounded according to authorities. Verified footage shows rockets smashing into a residential area and subsequent video posts from Ukrainian media show bodies strewn on a street.

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan has now opened an investigation into allegations of Russian war crimes and crimes against humanity.

CNN reported a sighting of a Russian thermobaric multiple rocket launcher near the Ukrainian border early on Saturday afternoon.

Jen Psaki, White House Secretary said in a press briefing she had seen reports that such weapons have been used and stated that if that were true “it would potentially be a war crime".

There has been no official confirmation as of yet that thermobaric weapons have been used and The Kremlin firmly deny any use of cluster munitions throughout the Ukraine conflict.

Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a press conference: “the Russian troops don’t conduct any strikes against civilian infrastructure and residential areas”.