A red and yellow cloud of poisonous smoke has covered the skies after a railway tanker containing nitric acid exploded after being hit during intense battles in the Ukrainian town of Rubizhne.

The cloud prompted residents to stay indoors after the suspected deliberate shelling of a dangerous chemical.

The explosion occurred in a disputed area close to Luhansk People's Republic in the east of Ukraine, where both Russian and Ukrainian forces claim control.

Russian forces are expected to begin a fierce assault of the eastern territory, according to reports.

Model Anastasia Koshuba, 21, has expressed deep fears for the fate of her parents, who live in the blitzed town and have not contacted their daughter for almost a month.

Koshuba, a student psychologist, was a member of the infamous "butt squad" that caused outrage in Dubai last year after a naked balcony photo.

The nitric acid explosion comes after warnings were released saying Russian forces could be preparing to use chemical weapons, with both sides blaming each other for the attack.

Warnings were given, with one saying: "If you are indoors – close doors and windows. Nitric acid peroxide is dangerous if inhaled, swallowed and comes into contact with skin and mucous membranes."

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Residents were also told to soak face masks in baking soda and were warned of potential serious eye damage from the acid.

Russians claimed: "The Nazis fired a missile at a tanker with nitric acid in Rubizhne, Luhansk region. Ukrainian propagandists rushed to accuse the Russian military of the attack."

Anastasia, who is now safe in Istanbul, said: "A terrible thing is happening now. My town Rubizhne where I grew up is hit by an exploding tanker of nitric acid.

"I am crying – I have had no contact with my parents for a month now because the fighting has been intense here, and now this.”

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Anastasia says she last heard from her father Andrey, 57, and mother Elena, 55, almost a month ago as fighting worsened, saying she visited them in February before the war started.

She said: "As of today, I do not know whether they are alive or not. I have not spoken to them for a month. I am very scared and worried, I love them very much.

"I'm having a hard time with it, I'm crying. I try to distract myself, I try to study psychology not to think about it."

Anastasia added that she hopes she can return to Ukraine and complete her studies, but does not believe that will be possible.

She said: "Russian residents and Chechens, they are looting. They are shooting in the air, in the outskirts of the city. They play, laugh, shoot in the air. They steal cars, rob flats, then live in them."

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