The fierce fighting around the small towns of Bachmut and Soledar has developed into street and house-to-house fighting. Both Russia and Ukraine are complaining of heavy losses. Now the Russian army apparently wants to take advantage of the moment – and bring really heavy artillery to the battlefield.
According to a report by the English “Mirror”, Russian President Vladimir Putin (70) would have ordered the world’s largest nuclear grenade launcher to be moved to the eastern front. The 2S4 Tjulpan – in English “tulip” – has a huge impact. It can fire shell heads with a caliber of 240 millimeters. That is twice as many as the standardized NATO warheads. These have a caliber of 120 millimeters.
The grenade launcher, nicknamed the “sledgehammer”, can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h on the road. Off-road is 25 kilometers per hour possible. With a range of up to 500 kilometers, the 2S4 can be moved quickly. The grenade launcher was already in use on the Russian side at the start of the war, but has been largely withdrawn from the front in recent months.
Different types of grenades possible
With a combat range of up to 20 kilometers, the “sledgehammer” can also take out targets that are further away. On the battlefield, the grenade launcher can be equipped with various warheads. Atomic explosives are also possible. Theoretically, smaller nuclear strikes would be possible. According to the “Mirror”, the area of a football stadium would be destroyed. However, so far there is no evidence that Russia has actually used nuclear warheads in Ukraine.
However, the monster grenade launcher has a major drawback: to get it ready to fire, the five-man crew must leave the protection of the armored “sledgehammer”. Due to the rather complex loading process, the 2S4 can only fire one round per minute.
In addition to nuclear warheads, other grenades can also be fired. Think of projectiles with cluster munitions or laser-guided precision munitions.
“Devastating Weapon”
The vehicle, which weighs about 28 tons, also has a permanently installed machine gun on the roof for self-defense. This holds up to 1500 shots and is intended to serve as your own defense in the event of an enemy attack.
Due to its heavy weight, the Nuclear Grenade Launcher cannot be used in all areas. In particular, the difficult ground conditions in the Donbass have made it impossible for Putin and his troops to deploy the mega-weapon in recent weeks. However, due to the onset of winter, most of the ground in eastern Ukraine is now frozen, making it possible to deploy heavy artillery again.
An internal source spoke to the Mirror about a “devastating weapon” that could destroy a vast area. “However, the 2S4 is also a good target for Ukrainian counter-attacks,” said the anonymous source.
After heavy fighting around the town of Soledar, members of the notorious Wagner forces announced the capture of the town on Tuesday night. Ukraine denied these reports.