Ukraine’s Artillery Nightmare is Only Beginning
Whatever shortfalls exist within the Russian war machine, the fact remains that the Russians are adapting to the conflict.
Artillery is the “King of Battle” when it comes to ground warfare. This has been the case for centuries. And the truism has been further confirmed in Ukraine, with artillery attacks accounting for nearly eighty percent of enemy kills for both the Russian and NATO-backed Ukrainian forces waging the war. In August of this year, reports were disseminated about how Russia had “begun operationalizing the 2S7 Pion, a large caliber artillery system.”
The 2S7 Pion is a .203-mm heavy artillery system that is the largest self-propelled gun in the Russian military. Russia’s 2S7, like so many systems in use by the Russian military today in Ukraine, has its origins in the old Soviet Union. During the Cold War, the 2S7s were designed to deploy a small nuclear warhead against NATO forces.
In those days, the Soviets wanted their larger artillery systems to destroy NATO lines of communication, enemy headquarters, tactical nuclear weapons arsenals, and logistical chains, and to decimate enemy population centers. When the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union collapsed, the Russian military deactivated the systems and placed them in storage.
Peace, after all, was at hand.
The Importance of Artillery in Ukraine
Then came 2022, the year in which the return of great power conflict in Europe occurred. Invading Ukraine in February, Moscow planned for a short, sharp, quick campaign against the Ukrainian government in Kyiv. But after shocking early defeats, the Russians discovered the fight would be far longer and harder than anticipated. In anticipation of a static war of attrition, they hardened their defensive perimeter in the eastern portion of the country.
And by December of that year, the Kremlin was pulling its 2S7 Pion heavy artillery system out of storage and modernizing them.
No longer would the Russians use the 2S7 to lob tactical nuclear warheads at NATO targets. Instead, the guns would help Russia with “counterbattery fires.” This is a tactic employed by militaries around the world: its aim is to hit enemy artillery systems before those enemy artillery systems can fire at friendly troops.
It has been speculated that the Russians need systems like the 2S7 because their 152-millimeter Howitzer cannons lack the range, accuracy, and ammunition compared to NATO-backed Ukraine’s artillery systems. The 2S7s, therefore, will augment the Russian Howitzer artillery cannons on the frontline. Russian 2S7s have an astonishing range of around 25 miles (40 kilometers). Further, the 2S7s have an upgraded fire-control system, meaning that its accuracy is far greater than Russia’s 152-mm Howitzers. Carrying a crew of seven soldiers and four rounds of ammunition, the Pion is a beast.
The Russians have an upgraded 2S7 now as well. Known as the 2S7M Malka, this system has a greater rate of fire than even the Pion. The Pion’s sister, Malka, can fire eight artillery rounds, as opposed to the Pion’s four.
Nevertheless, the 2S7 Pion and 2S7M Malka, together with Russia’s 152-mm howitzers, have formed an effective counterweight to Ukrainian artillery. It has also helped Russia to address other Ukrainian offensive systems, like their drone swarms, on the front lines.
Adaptations Galore
Meanwhile, the Russians have reorganized their overall forces to better deploy and maintain both the Pion and Malka systems. In December of 2022, Moscow announced that they were expanding their forces to include greater numbers of heavy artillery divisions and brigades, reconstituting their force structure from the Soviet days.
Indeed, field intelligence reports indicate that multiple units of 2S7 batteries have been spotted fighting on the frontline. Two-gun formations operating in wide dispersal patterns (to complicate the enemy efforts at targeting these systems) have been spotted firing at Ukrainian positions for the last several months.
For all the talk coming out of Western sources about the failure of the Russian army in Ukraine, or the supposed pending demise of Russia because of the Ukraine War, none of this appears to be true. Whatever shortfalls exist within the Russian war machine, the fact remains that the Russians are adapting to the conflict. Bringing the 2S7 Pion and now the 2S7M Malka out to the frontlines is more proof that the Russians are not giving up. Nor are they losing.
These systems are the perfect complement for the otherwise weaker Russian 152-mm Howitzers. Moreover, they are proving decisive in tactical engagements at the frontline. And with Russia’s larger population base and bigger military, Ukraine is already feeling the squeeze.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest, and a contributor at Popular Mechanics, consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, The American Spectator, to the National Interest. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
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