With Soviet guns – This is how the Ukrainians fight at the front at Bakhmut

Zelensky claims that Russia has already lost thousands of soldiers there. Among other things, use is made of 130 mm M-46 guns, which come from Soviet production and are supplied by a Central European country. The weapon was first noticed in the West in 1954, which is why it is also known as the M1954.

“This is our artillery that we work with every day. Sometimes we start shooting at 5am and stay here all night. We work all night. We have two artillery units and exchange information every day and a half,” said Dmytro, the commander of a Ukrainian artillery unit. Shooting to the area around Bakhmut to cover their infantry and drive out the Russian artillery.

Weapon with long range and penetration
The M-46 gun, with its characteristic long, thin barrel, was considered an excellent indirect fire weapon from the time of its introduction until the 1970s due to its high muzzle velocity and exceptionally long range of up to 17 miles. Experts say it also has high penetration power when fighting armored targets.

“Looks like the enemy has slowed down”
The soldiers near Bakhmut have been fighting against the Russian army for about four months: “We are working a lot more at the moment. We used to have an old type of heavy artillery. We were brought here because the enemy is pushing more in this direction. And now that we’re firing, it looks like the enemy has slowed down,” says Dmytro.

Since late October, the Russian advances around the towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka have been repeatedly repelled by the Ukrainian army. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar reported on Ukrainian television just over a week ago that “dozens of attacks in one day” were sometimes repulsed.