This is what a day in the life of a Ukrainian commander of a self-propelled howitzer looks like, as can be seen from this footage.
Ukrainian troops seemingly get into the self-propelled howitzer and drive off.
The video, shot from the point of view of the vehicle’s commander, who spends a considerable amount of time with his head up out of the hatch, directing his men, then shows the machine in action.
The soldiers inside the vehicle can be seen repeatedly firing shells before reloading.
Self-propelled howitzers, while similar to tanks, are usually much more fragile and are fundamentally different in that they cannot usually withstand direct missile from heavy weaponry.
On the other hand, their long guns can fire much further than a tank’s gun. They also do not require direct line of sight to hit their targets, unlike most tanks.
The images were obtained from the National Guard of Ukraine on Friday, July 1.
They were also relayed by the Western Territorial Administration of the National Guard of Ukraine, who said that the vehicle was a 2S1 ‘Gvozdika’, which means ‘Carnation’ in English. The 2S1 Gvozdika was originally built by the Soviet Union and entered service in the late 1970s.
The National Guard said in a short statement that the footage shows “what the departure of artillerymen of the National Guard of Ukraine on a combat mission looks like through the eyes of the crew commander.”
They added: “The Guardsmen are attacking the enemy in the Luhansk Region.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin is calling a “special military operation”. July 1 marks the 128th day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between February 24 and July 1, Russia had lost about 35,750 personnel, 1,577 tanks, 3,736 armored combat vehicles, 796 artillery units, 246 multiple launch rocket systems, 105 air defense systems, 217 warplanes, 186 helicopters, 645 drones, 143 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 2,610 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 61 units of special equipment.
A missile strike on Odesa has killed 18 people including two children, according to regional governor Maksym Marchenko, with over 30 people hospitalized. Ukrainian Brigadier General Oleksii Hromov has said that Russia is using inaccurate missiles from old Soviet stockpiles in over half of its strikes on the country.
Ukraine’s top brass has said that they have forced the Russians to abandon Snake Island and have derided Kremlin officials for claiming that they left as a “gesture of goodwill”. Ukraine’s military added that the Russians had fled the island in speedboats after being hit by a barrage of missile strikes and artillery.
The situation in the eastern Ukrainian city of Lysychansk has been described as “extremely difficult”, with Russian shelling making it impossible for civilians to evacuate.
UK foreign secretary Liz Truss has said that pushing Russian forces out of Ukraine completely was a “realistic” ambition and justification for providing additional weapons.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said that a new “iron curtain” is appearing between Russia and the West.
Russia accused Norway of disrupting critical supplies from being delivered to Svalbard on Wednesday, threatening to retaliate. But Norway said that it was not blocking access to the archipelago in the Arctic, stating that it was only applying international sanctions and that the Russians had other ways of getting there.
NATO leaders have called Russia “the most significant and direct threat to allies’ security and stability” and announced a new “strategic concept” in response to President Vladimir Putin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. NATO is planning to boost its quick reaction forces from 40,000 troops to over 300,000 troops.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the United States will increase its military forces across Europe.
NATO has also formally invited Sweden and Finland to become members of the alliance. The move comes after Turkey agreed to support Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said Sweden and Finland will formally sign the NATO accession protocol on Tuesday.
Turkey had initially opposed the countries’ bids to join the military alliance, accusing both of harboring Kurdish militants. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson at the NATO summit in Madrid and the three countries reached an agreement.
President Erdogan has since said that Turkey could still block Finland and Sweden from joining the Alliance if they failed to meet his expectations to extradite people designated by Turkey as suspected terrorists.
