Footage released by the Russian Ministry of Defense shows a group of Russian troops utilizing the 2S4 Tyulpan Self Propelled Mortar system to bombard Ukrainian positions.

The 2S4 Tyulpan is a Soviet-era 240mm self-propelled heavy mortar. The Tyulpan is the largest mortar system in use today, and it has been in circulation since it was first introduced in 1972. In practice, the weapon theoretically has an operational range of 420km or 260 miles, but this range is drastically reduced when it is taken overland. It is capable of firing 240mm rounds up to almost 10km.

To the uninformed viewer, this video would probably not raise any alarm bells whatsoever. For the most part, the footage appears to be standard issue stock Russian Ministry of Defense combat footage, which means it's nothing exciting whatsoever.

It is worth noting however, that this weapon system specifically is capable of delivering a nuclear payload. The 3B4 nuclear projectile designed specifically for this platform has a yield of approximately 2 kt. Little else is known about the munition.

The Russians knew exactly what they were doing when they published this video in the open. They are reserving the right to fire small tactical nuclear weapons in this "Special Military Operation."