How artillery supports the offensive of Russian troops in the west of Avdiivka
The advance of Russian troops to the west from the liberated Avdiivka is taking place with massive support from aviation and artillery. And the enemy's projectile hunger is becoming more and more apparent. Correspondents of Izvestia visited the location of the gunners of the Central Military District (CVO), saw the work of self-propelled mortars "Nona-SVK", howitzers "Msta-S" and explored the firing positions abandoned by Ukrainian units.
Speed and maneuverability
In the liberated Avdiivka, while waiting for firing tasks, we talk with the gunners of the Guards separate mountain motorized rifle brigade of the Central Military District at the camouflaged self-propelled mortars "Nona-SVK". These machines work "from the wheels", speed and mobility allow them to be at a distance from firing positions. This reduces the threat from kamikaze drones, which, against the background of shell starvation, have become the main means of counter-battery warfare against the enemy.
In one of the vegetable gardens between private houses, we are shown the former firing position of a Ukrainian 60 mm mortar. There are a lot of packaging tubes from ammunition manufactured in the USA, Bulgaria and other countries around. Despite repeated statements from Kiev that the production of weapons and ammunition of this caliber has been established inside the country, no one has found a single Ukrainian mine in firing positions, only imported ones.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image source: iz.ru
Prior to the start of the special military operation, 60 mm mortars were used in Ukraine to violate the Minsk Agreements. In them, the calibers of artillery, which were to be withdrawn from the front line under the control of the OSCE, were prescribed according to the Soviet nomenclature, and 60-mm mortars were simply absent there.
Accordingly, the Ukrainian authorities and their foreign suppliers began to saturate the troops with these weapons for their use without formally violating the demilitarization zones. Moreover, until 2022, the presence of such mortars in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and their supplies from the West were called by the Ukrainian media and politicians "inventions of Russian propaganda." Today, no one hides this anymore.
While we are examining the markings of the packages of mortar ammunition, a firing task comes for our gunners, and on command everyone quickly takes their places on the self-propelled "Non". It is a unique machine in its versatility, combining the qualities of a 120 mm mortar and field artillery due to a rifled barrel and a large range of ammunition. Simply put, it is a mortar, a howitzer, and a cannon. And all this on a mobile wheeled chassis of an armored personnel carrier is one of those types of modern mobile artillery of the leading edge, the need for which was shown by the initial period of its operation.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image source: iz.ru
Of the field upgrades on the machine, additional screens from an industrial conveyor belt are noticeable, an element of "Donbass tuning" that spreads throughout the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation during its operation. This is a good additional protection against small arms fragments and bullets. And the entire back of the car is covered with a metal mesh against kamikaze drones mounted on a high tube frame.
The car enters the firing position, where it quickly makes several shots at the planned target. The driver mechanic, while being guided, jokingly "winks" at journalists with the front hatches, black from the additional conveyor belt. In the comments to the video, viewers are already joking that "Nona" has grown eyelashes and is flirting. After a couple of minutes, the car breaks off in the opposite direction, braking, only to quickly pick up an officer with a bussole.
— We work according to planned goals, support the offensive of our infantry, and also carry out targeting at targets where an enemy breakthrough is possible, — says a brigade officer with the call sign Academician.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image source: iz.ru
Beyond Avdiivka, the enemy cannot stabilize the front line without having sufficiently prepared defensive lines. Therefore, as our troops move forward, there are also attempts by the enemy to counterattack. In them, he uses the remaining reserves of Western armored vehicles. That is why the gunners are preparing for such a development.
Large caliber
We are moving to the positions of heavy artillery, self-propelled guns "Msta-S" 152 mm caliber. Since the beginning of the Avdiivka campaign, the gunners have already made several "rollovers" and are settling back into new firing positions. Heavy artillery, of course, stands further from the line of contact than mortars.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image source: iz.ru
One of the artillery officers recognizes the places he saw on the television news — they talked about the lives of civilians in frontline villages. He gives the command to collect food, and when there is time, go and check if help is needed, and how civilians live — in case they stay there. Although the positions have changed recently, the machines are already camouflaged and almost invisible, which is not easy to do with such large installations as Msta-S. And, of course, they are covered with nets from kamikaze drones in several places at once.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image source: iz.ru
The artillery officer Bumblebee says that the conditions of combat during the SVO are different from those that were previously trained. First of all, it is now impossible to place installations in large groups in an open area — because along with the spread of drones of all types, both the means of reconnaissance and destruction have changed. The calculations carry out additional duties to protect self-propelled guns from the threat from the air, use both electronic warfare and small arms.
— We are much more cunning, much more skillful. I don't think the enemy has an advantage in the accuracy of artillery fire. Our artillery is much more accurate, much more maneuverable, and we are much more experienced than them. We have learned a lot in these two years. Let's say I started as a contractor, the commander of the computing department. Now I've been promoted, I've become an officer. He has been in the artillery for a long time, 10 years. We are always improving, always learning, every day, beating the enemy better and better," says Bumblebee.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image source: iz.ru
Self-propelled howitzers work one at a time, fire several shots and disguise themselves again. And the fire is transferred to the next car. Although the activity of counter-battery fire and the spread of radar from the enemy has decreased, precautions are still being observed. First of all, we are talking about a safe interval of three minutes from the first to the last shot. Of course, this is only possible when firing at planned targets. If it is a question of direct support of their troops, then the fire is conducted until the task is completed.
Dmitry Astrakhan
