Pro-Russian militia, the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), has reportedly hit Ukrainian troops with the world’s most powerful mortar.
The separatist forces in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic have taken delivery of a deadly new weapons system.
The nuclear-capable 2S4 Tyulpan mortar has reportedly been unleashed on Ukrainian troops in the breakaway region.
READ MORE: Putin now at war with NATO and West after tanks deal, says EU chief
The 2S4 Tyulpan (often known as the Tulip) is the biggest mortar in the world, capable of firing a 280-pound high-explosive 53-F-864 bomb or even a two-kiloton 3B4 nuclear projectile.
The weapon has already been seen in Ukraine, having been deployed by Russia in the attacks on the Azovstal Steel Plant in the southern port city of Mariupol.
Its 240mm (9.4-inch) main weapon, with massive projectiles guided with incredible precision with laser targeting, was pivotal in the capture of the strategically-important industrial complex.
Its six-mile range can be boosted by rocket-assisted projectiles to reach targets twelve miles away.
Puffy-faced Putin to 'take as many people as possible with him' as cancer worsens
The “Tulip” can deliver concrete-piercing shells for destroying bunkers as well as the terrifying Sayda incendiary missiles which have been used to devastate residential areas and Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
It’s not all one-way traffic though. The dramatic destruction of a Tulip mortar went viral on social media after Ukrainian forces uploaded video showing the moment an artillery salvo hit the feared weapon while it was being reloaded.
Kremlin propaganda mouthpiece Aleksandr Kots showed off the self-propelled heavy mortar in a TV report from a Russian position outside Severodonetsk soon after the weapon had been moved from Mariupol.
Ukrainian civilians tell of brutal torture and mock executions by Putin's troops
Kots, who was awarded an Order of Merit for the Fatherland medal for his 'objectivity in reporting’ after covering the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014, recorded a glowing report of the super-gun’s capabilities for Russian viewers back home.
The sharp crack of each shot is followed by a tell-tale “ringing bell” sound that the mortar is known for.
But his report showed the weapon from various angles as it was being fired from behind a large factory building, giving a fair of idea of where it had been placed, was also being watched by observers in Ukraine.
Less than 24 hours after the Russian broadcast, the Ukrainian military released a video shot by a surveillance drone. It shows the 2S4 on fire, before being engulfed in a massive explosion as its ammunition “cooks off” in the blaze.
The Ukrainian army is set to receive a huge injection of new military hardware, with the fearsome ‘Tank killer’ Bradley fighting vehicles Leopard and Challenger tanks already on the way.
Reports also say that Poland is set to ship American-made F16 fighter jets, which could massively change the balance of power in the air.
READ NEXT
- Putin promotes brutal war criminal wanted for shooting down Flight MH17 to commander
- 'I blame Putin for my son's death after Russia shot down flight MH17 over Ukraine'
- MH17 shooting suspects slapped with murder charges unmasked
- MH17 disaster: Russian officials in tense talks over who downed plane killing 298 people
- Russian spy 'responsible' for Novichok poisoning and MH17 crash DIES after Putin sanction
- MH17 dad of three kids killed blasts Donald Trump for ‘kissing Putin’s a***’
Source: Read Full Article