The artillery duels between Russian and Ukrainian forces have continued, even as Kyiv has launched its long-anticipated counteroffensive.
And this week, videos circulated on social media highlighted how Ukraine could be winning the latest clash of arms.
Here is the latest of what we are seeing:
Completely Destroyed: Video Shows Ukraine Destroyed Artillery
In one clip, the Ukrainian 40th Artillery Brigade, working with the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade was seen successfully conducting counter-battery fire near the settlement of Soledar in the Donetsk Oblast.
The town has been almost entirely destroyed in ongoing fighting and was the site of a months-long battle that began last August.
Though barely anything remains, Soledar has been under Russian control since January of this year.
A Russian 2S1 Gvozdika, a tracked 122mm self-propelled howitzer first developed in the 1960s, was destroyed in the video on the outskirts of the former settlement.
The 2S1 has been operated by both sides in the war in Ukraine, and a significant number have been lost in the conflict
The Ukrainian 40th Artillery Brigade has been engaged in the fighting in the Donbas region since last summer. The unit, which was awarded the honorific “Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas the Great” in August 2020, had also received the honorary award of “For Courage and Bravery” by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for its defense of Kharkiv last year.
The 10th Mountain Assault Brigade “Edelweiss” was raised in October 2015, and had been engaged in the war in the Donbas. Since the start of the Russian-Ukraine War last February, the brigade has taken part in the defense of Marinka, Popasna, Mariupol, and Bakhmut.
Loitering Munitions Take Out Self-Propelled Mortar
Another video shared on social media highlighted the destruction of a Russian 2S9 Nona-SV (2S17-2) self-propelled mortar in the same region. The vehicle – “Newest Ordnance of Ground Artillery” – was designed during the Soviet era to be air-droppable. It is estimated that more than 1,000 were produced, and the 2S9 first entered service in 1981.
In the video, which was posted by OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) on Thursday morning, the self-propelled mortar was targeted by a Ukrainian loitering munition, which struck the front of the vehicle and caused “a complete ammunition cookoff.”
Russia Losing the Artillery Duels
The destruction of the pair of self-propelled Russian guns comes just a day after the Kremlin’s forces saw at least five 2S19 Msta-S 152mm self-propelled howitzers come under fire near the settlement of Novopetrykivka. Video footage of the first two guns was posted on social media early Wednesday, while a clip of three more being destroyed was posted later in the day.
Ukrainian FPV loitering munitions are getting in on the counterbattery activity on the Velyka Novosilka axis, seen here striking a Russian 2S17-2 Nona-SV self-propelled mortar, causing a complete ammunition cookoff. pic.twitter.com/ecjiw2aKjR
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 15, 2023
The Russian Army normally deploys the 2S19 in batteries of six guns, so it would appear that perhaps nearly an entire battery came under enemy fire. The 2S19 has been a key component of the Kremlin’s artillery in the war in Ukraine.
It is easy to suggest that this has been a black week for Russian artillery.
#Ukraine: The Ukrainian 40th Artillery Brigade, working with the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade, destroyed a Russian 2S3 Akatsiya 152mm self-propelled howitzer with counter-battery fire near Soledar, #Donetsk Oblast. pic.twitter.com/YNOtzJxyHG
— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) June 15, 2023
Author Experience and Expertise:
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
