Russia’s Defense Ministry has published new footage of Msta-B 152-mm towed artillery crews firing on fortified Ukrainian positions in Zaporozhye region.
The footage, shot by drones hovering over the battlefield, shows 152-mm shells landing on a landscape heavily scarred in intense fighting, with the impacting projectiles sending earth and vegetation flying skyward as Russian forces searched for Ukrainian troops operating in the area.
Developed in the 1980s and fielded by Russia and half a dozen other post-Soviet countries, the Msta-B is among the most modern pieces of towed artillery in use in the world today. The 6.8 ton, 12.7 meter-long weapon is crewed by between 6-11 personnel, and can fire 5-6 high-explosive shells per minute. The system has a maximum firing range of nearly 29 km.
A self-propelled version of the howitzer, the 2S19 Msta-S, was put into service in the late 1980s, and has been used extensively by Russian forces over the course of operations in the proxy war with NATO in Ukraine.