Testing of the new Koalitsiya-SV self-propelled artillery systems has been completed and their serial production has already begun, he said. According to him, the first pilot batch will be delivered by the end of 2023.
“I think they will appear there (in the Northern Military District) in the near future, since howitzers of this class are needed to provide an advantage over Western artillery models in terms of firing range,” Chemezov said.
In 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin changed the status of the Russian Northern Fleet, whose area of responsibility was mainly the Russian Arctic, to the Northern Military District, also including the Murmansk region, bordering Finland and Norway.
Since the launch of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has accused the “collective West” of starting a proxy war with Russia and has said that Moscow will build up forces on its western borders after Finland joins the NATO alliance.
Earlier in December, the Russian state news agency TASS reported that single Coalition-SV howitzers had already been deployed to the front line in Ukraine.
The howitzers, which have a firing range of up to 70 kilometers, are equipped with a 2A88 152 mm cannon with a rate of fire of more than 10 rounds per minute, as well as an automation system for firing processes.
The Coalition-SV artillery complex was first officially presented in Moscow at a military parade on May 9, 2015. As of 2023, this self-propelled gun has not been delivered en masse to Russian troops.
Threats to Finland
Previously, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened Finland over the country’s entry into NATO and said that he would send troops to the Finnish border.
The issue of NATO expansion became relevant after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In April 2023, Finland officially became the 31st NATO member. Sweden also plans to join the Alliance, but Türkiye is currently blocking its membership.
2023-12-27 06:27:13
#Russia #deploy #newest #howitzers #border #Finland
