(Reuters) – According to the head of the Rostec state defence conglomerate, Russia will soon deploy its newest howitzers to its Northern Military District, which shares borders with Finland and Norway. Sergei Chemezov revealed that the testing of the new Coalition-SV self-propelled artillery units has been completed and mass production has already begun. He stated in an interview with the state RIA news agency that the first pilot batch will be delivered by the end of 2023. Chemezov also expressed the need for howitzers of this class in order to provide an advantage over Western artillery models in terms of firing range.
Chemezov indicated that the howitzers will be deployed to the Northern Military District soon, following the change in status of the Russian Northern Fleet to the Northern Military District by President Vladimir Putin in 2021. This change incorporated the Murmansk region, which borders Finland and Norway, into the district. Moscow has accused “the collective West” of staging a proxy war with Russia and has warned of building up forces at its western borders following Finland’s accession to the U.S.-led NATO alliance since the invasion in Ukraine in February 2022.
According to Russia’s TASS state news agency, single Coalition-SV howitzers had already been deployed to the frontline in Ukraine in December. The howitzers, with a range of up to 70 kilometers (44 miles), are equipped with a modern 2A88 cannon of 152 mm caliber with a firing rate of more than 10 rounds per minute, as well as a modern system for automating the processes of gun pointing, target selection and navigation, as reported by TASS.
These developments in Russia’s Northern Military District have raised concerns among neighboring countries and international observers. The deployment of new howitzers in the region, particularly in the context of ongoing conflicts and geopolitical tensions, has the potential to escalate the situation and impact regional security. The actions of the Russian government in this regard are being closely monitored by the international community.
Lidia Kelly reporting in Melbourne
