Russian Defense Company: Russia to Deploy Latest Howitzers Near Its Border with Finland

Sergey Chemezov, head of the Russian state defense company Rostec, stated in comments published today, Wednesday, that Russia will soon deploy the latest howitzers in its northern military district bordering Finland and Norway. Chemezov told the Russian news agency in an interview that testing of the new self-propelled artillery units, known as Koalitsiya-SV, has been completed and large-scale production has already begun. He mentioned that the delivery of the first experimental batch is expected by the end of 2023. Chemezov added, "I believe they will appear there (in the northern military district) soon, as howitzers of this category are needed to provide an advantage over Western artillery models in terms of range." In 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin changed the status of the Russian Northern Fleet, which was primarily responsible for the Russian Arctic, to the northern military district, which also includes the Murmansk region bordering Finland and Norway. Since launching its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has accused the West of waging a proxy war against it and warned that it will mobilize forces along its western borders following Finland's accession to the U.S.-led NATO.