Dramatic video footage shared by the Ukrainian military shows when a Russian self-propelled mortar was destroyed by a Ukrainian artillery strike.
The video shows the Russian 2S4 Tyulpan self-propelled mortar slowly moving into a wooded area, presumably searching for cover.
The video footage, recorded by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), shows the Russian weapon exploding as it approaches the trees.
According to Ukraine Weapons Tracker, a popular war-tracking Twitter account, the Russian self-propelled mortar was destroyed by the Ukrainian 406th Artillery Brigade on the left bank of the Dnipro River.
“A 2S4 Tyulpan 240mm self-propelled mortar was destroyed by a precision artillery strike of the Ukrainian 406th Artillery Brigade on the left bank of the Dnipro River, #Kherson Oblast,” the account writes.
The video was shared on YouTube and Facebook by the 406th Artillery Brigade.
“In the southern direction, an enemy self-propelled mortar that was shelling peaceful villages was destroyed,” the YouTube caption reads.
“Let’s work further, to complete Victory! Glory to Ukraine!”
The precise location of the strike was also determined by volunteers on Twitter who contribute to the popular @GeoConfirmed account.
“World’s Most Powerful” Mortar
The 2S4 “Tulip,” is a valuable target for the Ukrainian forces. Despite entering production in the late 1960s, this Soviet-era weapon is the largest mortar system in use to this day and is capable of carrying 20 long-range rocket-assisted shells, or 40 standard shells.
The 2S4 has also been described as the world’s most powerful self-propelled mortar, and the weapon hit the headlines in January this year when it was deployed by the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic in Eastern Ukraine.
Russia’s RIA Novosti shared a video of the self-propelled mortar in use in Ukraine, noting that the first Slavic brigade used it to strike a Ukrainian position in the Donetsk direction.
#Ukraine: A 2S4 Tyulpan 240mm self-propelled mortar was destroyed by a precision artillery strike of the Ukrainian 406th Artillery Brigade on the left bank of the Dnipro River, #Kherson Oblast. pic.twitter.com/i8HcNTQepW
— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) May 15, 2023
MORE: The War in Ukraine Is About to Explode
MORE: Does Putin Have Cancer?
Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
