Photos have surfaced on social media showing a 152mm self-propelled artillery system 2S5 "Hyacinth-S" literally buried in the ground, belonging to Russian occupation forces engaged in combat against the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Notably, the scale of the shelter that the Russians have excavated for their self-propelled artillery draws attention. Additionally, the mere presence of the "Hyacinth-S" in the photos is significant, as it rarely appears in various public materials related to the Russian Armed Forces.
At first glance, the information above may seem paradoxical, but it actually reflects a systematic practice that has emerged at this stage of the Russo-Ukrainian war, driven by the dominance of drones on the battlefield.
In this context, we can recall materials from one of the recent reports by the British analytical center RUSI (Royal United Services Institute), which is dedicated to the current situation at the front line. It specifically notes that both the Russians and the Ukrainian Armed Forces actively employ the practice of dispersing their artillery systems, which are placed in underground shelters.
This practice enhances survivability amid counter-battery warfare conducted by enemy artillery or the active use of various types of strike UAVs. Moreover, as experience shows, even minor damage from a drone can necessitate "premature" replacement of the barrel; and barrels for artillery are, to put it mildly, not an "unlimited" resource even for Russian aggressors.
Thus, at this stage of the war, the use of artillery has transitioned to an "underground positional" format, where the artillery systems themselves, ammunition storage, and personnel must be located in various shelters.
Specifically regarding the Russian 2S5 "Hyacinth-S," it appears that burying it in the ground is the only feasible option for protection. This is because this artillery system lacks a turret to protect the crew, and the occupiers deemed it extremely impractical to weld even rough grids or "sheds" onto such a self-propelled unit.
Earlier, Defense Express also reported that the emergence of the new wheeled self-propelled artillery system 2S44 "Hyacinth-K" among the Russians recalls the Soviet project 2S21 "Msta-K."
