The Russian military has begun using World War II-era M-30 howitzers in its campaign against Ukraine, as evidenced by a recent video shared by a Russian soldier on YouTube.
The footage shows a damaged 122-mm M-30 howitzer, a weapon originally developed in the 1930s and extensively used by the Soviet army during World War II.
According to the soldier who posted the video, the howitzer was damaged following an attack by approximately 15 Ukrainian FPV drones on their position.
He noted that the howitzer had been in place for two days before being disabled by relentless shelling from Ukrainian forces.
The M-30 howitzer, with its 22.7-caliber barrel, is capable of firing a variety of 122-mm shells at a range of up to 12 kilometers. Despite its age, the weapon's compatibility with other 122-mm artillery systems makes it a versatile tool in Russia's arsenal.
Over the past year, the Russian military has increasingly resorted to restoring older artillery systems from the 1930s to the 1960s due to a severe shortage of more modern weapons.
This trend has also led to the repurposing of naval guns from decommissioned ships into land-based artillery systems.
In a related development, there have been reports of Russia manufacturing hybrid guns, combining naval gun barrels with carriages from M-46 towed artillery guns.
