Ukraine’s adoption of Western artillery deprived the Russian military of the ability to conduct counter-battery fire, said Col. Serhii Baranov, the acting chief of the Main Directorate of Attack Weapon Systems of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The counter-battery fire is the military tactic of destroying the enemy artillery spotted as it starts to engage.
“I can say that even now, there is no enemy counter-battery as such, as of today. Precisely, in its classical sense. Because with us having NATO weapons, they cannot reach our artillery,” he said at a briefing at the Military Media Center on 21 March.
Since June 2022, when the Ukrainian army began receiving and mastering NATO artillery pieces, it has become possible to hit targets at greater distances. Baranov added that this had pushed the Russian artillery deeper away from the front, making it difficult for them to conduct effective counter-battery fire.
Col. Baranov said that the Ukrainian army is also actively involving the Ukrainian industry to improve its artillery capabilities, although it still partially uses Soviet-era equipment.
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