IIt snowed heavily that night. That's why the soldiers put snow chains on their Archer for safety. They drag the heavy chains through the snow with their bare hands, then together heave them onto the man-sized tires. There is nothing to discuss. The men do their work in silence and panting.
The Archer is a 15 meter long monster with six wheels. The self-propelled gun looks like a truck with a cannon barrel. The Swedish artillery piece was handed over to Ukraine in 2023 as part of military aid. Now it's standing in a small clearing, somewhere in northern Donbass, with its engine rattling. The scenery appears to consist of only two colors: bright white snow and the olive green of the gun and the operating crew. You are not alone. From the surrounding area, the wind carries the sound of more cannons firing their guns.
Russia's war against Ukraine is often described as a war of artillery and drones. Even if neither side is actively pushing forward in a sector of the front, the artillerymen are constantly on duty. Surveillance drones circle the sky behind enemy lines in search of worthwhile targets. Depending on the distance, these are then attacked with artillery volleys or explosives-laden drones.
Electronic warfare system is always there
Conditions for the soldiers of the 45th Artillery Brigade are mixed this morning. Because of the cloudy, snowy sky, the high-flying Russian surveillance drones cannot detect the soldiers. At the same time, the Ukrainians today hardly have any “eyes in the sky” to spy on enemy targets.
Because of its long range, the Archer is usually not used in close proximity to the front. Depending on the type of ammunition, targets more than 40 kilometers away can be fired upon. Since the range of most of the guns on the Russian side is shorter, the Lancet kamikaze drones are particularly a threat to the Ukrainians.
15 meter long monster: The artillery system is hidden in the forest
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Image: Oleksandr Magula
To protect the Archer from enemy drones, the crew always carries a “Reb” that can disrupt them. However, the electronic warfare system is not mounted on the Archer itself, the technician tells the group over a cigarette next to the driver's cab. “The force of the shot would probably break it,” he says. That's why the men transport it in a small off-road vehicle full of equipment, which always stays close to the mobile artillery piece.
Today there is also another car on the forest path next to the small clearing. With that came the chief of staff with the call sign “Ljutij” and the deputy battalion commander “London”. London says they are generally very happy with the Archer. You can work precisely with the weapon and the system is not particularly physically demanding.
Repairing western systems takes a lot of time
In fact, the Archers, which were only introduced to the Swedish armed forces in 2016, are probably among the most modern self-propelled guns that Ukraine has received from Western partners. But they are also symbolic of Western arms support: Ukraine has only received eight Archer systems in total, all of which are operated by the 45th Artillery Brigade. For comparison: According to the open source military database “Oryx”, Russia has lost 676 self-propelled guns in the war in Ukraine so far. A large number of them are currently in use along the 1,000 kilometer long front line.