“Ukrainians will meet us with flowers.” — That’s what Russian ‘intelligence’ reportedly told Putin right before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They weren’t entirely wrong — we met them with flowers, alright. A whole bouquet of them: 122 mm Carnations (2S1), 152 mm Acacias (2S3), and 203 mm Peonies (2S7), which are the stars of today’s video.
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Video source: fragment of a documentary by Ukrainska Pravda https://youtu.be/jEM8GTXiVbk
Aired: January 24, 2023
English translation and subtitles by the author of this channel.
All rights reserved.
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*Notes:*
The 43rd Heavy Artillery Brigade has been fighting the war since the Battle of Kyiv. They are the guys responsible for roasting the Russian landing forces in Hostomel airport and blasting to bits countless enemy armored columns in the Kyiv region in February-March 2022.
The 43rd Brigade operates 2S7 “Pion”(Peony) 203 mm Self-Propelled Guns — the BFG in the video . Firing range: 37 km (23 miles), shell weight: 110 kg (240 lbs), crew: 14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2S7_Pion
(0:02) “On the night of the invasion (Feb. 23, 2022), we defended the four airports around Kyiv: Hostomel, Zhulyany, Boryspil, and Vasylkiv.” — *Boryspil* International Airport (KBP), Igor Sikorsky Kyiv International Airport *Zhulyany* (IEV), Antonov Cargo Airport in *Hostomel* (GML), and *Vasylkiv* Airforce base.
(0:08) “we circled twice around the town of Brovary” — a city immediately east of Kyiv, known for the famous ambush on the Russian tank column https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgNli5z9beA
(0:14) “…then relocated closer to Kyiv and took positions to fire at Hostomel” — the Antonov Aircraft manufacturing factory airfield where the Russian VDV have landed.
(0:39) “The suburb of Troieshchyna” — a suburb on the north east of Kyiv, on the left bank.
(0:25) “The crews rode on top” — except for the driver, the 2S7 “Pion” SPG has no room inside. The gun crews had to ride on top, sitting on bare metal, holding on for dear life… at night… in the middle of a Ukrainian winter.
(4:48) “(Radio in, Fire Control Officer) Repeat five HEFs on a smaller charge — Fire five more High-Explosive Fragmentation shells using a smaller propelling charge for shorter range.
(7:26) The gunner writes on a shell, “For Dnipro!” — payback for the Russian terrorist strike on a civilian building in the city of Dnipro on January 14, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Dnipro_residential_building_airstrike