This is believed to be the first public video footage showing the use of the Russian 2B25 “Gall” Silent mortar in Ukraine. Exact date and location unknown.
In actuality, the Russian 2B25 82mm mortar is a spigot mortar. In contrast to a traditional mortar, which detonates the propellant cartridge in the bomb by using gravity to force the bomb into the tube, this mortar uses a striker or anvil at the base of the tube to detonate the bomb. This idea is modified by spigot mortars, which use a metal rod as the main component and a bomb with a hollow tail as the projectile. Instead of the tube as in a typical mortar, the bomb’s tail is now the component that is holding the pressure from the detonated propellant charge. When the 2B25 bomb is fired, a plug at the base of the propellant cartridge is pushed downward by the expanding propellant gases, effectively acting as a piston. A restriction at the tube’s end prevents the plug from exiting the tube. By doing so, the gases are captured and the mortar’s sound is diminished.