1,000 days on from Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, NATO troops are deployed in neighbouring Finland with the British Army flexing its muscles testing new weapons.
Around 3,600 troops from 28 nations have deployed to NATO’s newest member in a show of force intended to demonstrate the alliance’s ability to war fight in a difficult environment where temperatures rarely exceed freezing.
In Rovaniemi, 70 miles from the Russian border, the Royal Artillery has fired its newest artillery system, the Archer, for the first time.
Purchased in September to replace the 32 AS90 systems that were gifted to Ukraine, the self-propelled 33-tonne guns have been labelled a “game-changer” by an officer commanding the troops responsible for it.
Major Barney Ingram told inews: “Standard high explosive rounds would be very good against personnel, soft-skin vehicles, light armour vehicles and have a mass area effect – those classic big explosions.
“Our new bonus anti-armour has the ability to strike much more heavily armoured vehicles as a seeker munition.
“It depends what munitions you’re firing, but you can, realistically, with this capability, neutralise most targets.
“Against troops in the open, soft-skin vehicles, lightly armoured vehicles, trenches…they will have a really big effect.”
The firing of the new weapon system sends a clear message to the Kremlin in the same week that US president Joe Biden authorised the use of long-range ATACMS missiles deep into Russia.
The permission has long been lobbied for by Ukraine who want the ability to strike logistical nodes supplying the frontline, but has been described by Moscow as an “escalation”.
Crucially, strikes will have to be authorised by the US and will initially be used to target North Korean units in the Kursk region.
The purchase of 16 Archer systems is a welcome sign as the British Army seeks to backfill depleted stocks following significant donations of kit and equipment to aid the Ukrainian war effort.
The value of artillery has been demonstrated throughout the conflict, with its use by both sides severely restricting the ability of the enemy to move and operate around the battlespace.
Speaking in July, Ukraine’s general staff reported that when their armed forces were firing 10,000 shells per day, between 35 and 45 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and up to 300 wounded.
When the daily fire was halved, the death toll shot up to more than 100 Ukrainian soldiers killed each day and at least 1,000 wounded.
