Russia announces its intention to deploy new howitzers on borders with Finland and Norway

Reuters reports, citing a statement by the head of the Russian state corporation Rostec, Sergei Chemezov.

According to him, the new Coalition-SV self-propelled artillery systems testing has already been completed, and their serial production has now begun. The system is to be manufactured by the end of 2023. "I think they will appear there soon, since howitzers of this class are needed to provide an advantage over Western artillery models in terms of firing range," Chemezov said.

In 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin changed the status of the Russian Northern Fleet, which was primarily responsible for the Russian Arctic, to the Northern Military District, including the Murmansk region, which borders Finland and Norway.

For reference. The Coalition-SV is a Russian 152-mm self-propelled artillery system with a rate of fire of over 10 rounds per minute. Maximum range: 40 km for conventional shells and 70 km for active-reactive shells.

• Earlier it became known that Russia has developed legal mechanisms for reforming the Leningrad Military District as part of a large-scale military reform. In this way, Russia is preparing for possible conflicts with NATO countries. 
• On December 17, Putin said that after joining NATO, Finland might have problems with Russia. He also announced the creation of the Leningrad Military District.