Long-range argument: how artillery and tanks clear the way to Konstantinovka

Tank crews and gunners provide active fire support to the infantrymen of the 1442nd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment, who are taking control of Konstantinovka in the DPR. They support assault groups, identify points of operators of FPV drones, conduct duels, open dugouts. The Izvestia report explains why long-range artillery is given priority in such actions, what is the main threat to the tank and how the Tsar—Mangal differs from the Porcupine.

One and a half minutes before the command "fire"

Artemovsk is the base of our troops on the way to the city of Konstantinovka. Countless stone fortifications can be used to help the soldiers of various units, from where long—range attacks can be carried out. And the acceptable distance along the front line is 21 km in a straight line. However, the enemy also uses such proximity — UAV raids are constant, movement through the streets is unsafe, if you hear machine gun fire, there is a drone in the sky, be careful. It is in such conditions that we have to move around the ruined city at top speed, from shelter to shelter.

The queen of artillery at this turn is the 152 mm Hyacinth cannon. We are just on our way to one of the calculations of such a weapon. The commander is 48—year-old Igor, call sign Snake, a native of the Altai Territory (the regiment was formed in Siberia mainly from Altai and Omsk residents). In the morning, the guys had already fired back — they sent a firing range and five more shells to the other side. Yesterday — 11. Sometimes, during "hot" periods, it reaches 20-30.

The cannon is embedded in the ground, with a three-layer roll of logs on top. The main attack is, of course, drones. The snake explains that the disguise ensures the invisibility of the firing point. But you need to be prepared for anything, especially when you hear those same machine gun bursts: guns are a priority target, they are being hunted.

— We are constantly on the alert. On the one hand, there is a threat from the sky. On the other hand, you need to always be ready to fire, the task can arrive at any minute," the commander explains. — An officer contacts me, informs me of the calculated settings — sight, angle gauge, level. I'm handing them over to the gunner. The first and second numbers are charged. It should take no more than one and a half minutes from receiving the coordinates to the "fire" command. The main thing is time, otherwise the goal may go away.

Aiming range and striking power

The loader in the calculation is Anton with the call sign Sazon, he is 34 years old. Also from Altai. Hyacinth has been operating for a year. Before that, he shot from a 100-mm Rapier.

—The advantages of 152 mm over 100 mm are obvious in our field," he says. — The Rapier hits up to a maximum of 8 km, and this is a critical proximity to the line of contact, there is no easy way to hide from drones there. Plus the dimensions and weight, the gun needs to be towed to the position using a tractor, the same KAMAZ, which cannot pass unnoticed. The Hyacinth's aiming range is 28.5 km, which is optimal for us. It is also worth adding a higher impact force and a radius of destruction.

Sazon started in the regiment as an artilleryman. After that, I spent part of my time in the stormtroopers. He describes one of the episodes as "very difficult." I was moving to land at the right point, but ran into a camouflaged enemy campsite. I got two bullets at once — both legs were pierced through. He returned fire and managed to crawl to a safe distance. I helped myself and got to the shelter. Then the Ukrainian Armed Forces monitored any movement in the area from the air for a week. It was possible to evacuate the wounded Sazon only when fog fell. For his steadfastness and courage, he was awarded the Zhukov Medal.

Rods, sleeves, cables, nets

Tankers are based side by side with the gunners. Most of them are residents of Rostov who were sent to help the Siberians. In their arsenal, the T-72 is a machine that has earned the respect of many generations of fighters for its reliability and accuracy.

"We are hitting from closed positions — from shelters," says Alexander, the commander of the tank battalion with the call sign Svat. — Direct fire was fired in 2023-2024, when the Ukrainian Armed Forces were being driven away from Artemovsk and squeezed out of Kleshcheyevka. There is no such need now. Among the targets are buildings and concentrations of manpower. And the identification of UAV calculations that respond to our "boxes" and release their "birds".

The "seventy-second" samples of 2025-2026 are strikingly different from their recent counterparts, as I personally see. Two outlandish modifications appear before me in one of the hangars. The "Barbecue King", familiar to many from impressive photos from the Web, and the "Porcupine". The wonders of amateur engineering, there is no other way to call them.

The Tsar Brazier is protected by five layers of alternating metal and rubber. Its tower does not rotate — the welded frame interferes. An anti-mine truck is installed in front. The advantages are minimal vulnerability: drones are like an elephant's shot. The disadvantages are reduced speed due to several tons of extra weight and overheating of the engine. They send such monsters for the most risky operations.

The more maneuverable and lightweight Porcupine looks no less intimidating. It has a body made of welded gratings and rods, and a set of 30-mm BMP-2 cartridges are fixed on top, into which steel cables with fluffed ends are inserted to form the most dense cover. Externally, such a tank really looks like a porcupine. Additional protection is provided by conveyor combine chains, which swing during movement, creating a barrier. Smoke bombs and self-working cylindrical fire extinguishers are inserted among the metal "needles". Before leaving, an ordinary fishing net is also thrown over the tank body, in which the drone can get stuck like in a spider's web.

Looking, sawing, cooking

This modernization is the work of the tankers themselves. They find the elements of future protection on their own, sawing, cutting, cooking, often at night, in their free time. They look at something from others or on the Internet, they bring something themselves based on experience. As the commander of the tank platoon, Vladimir, a 32-year-old Rostov resident with the call sign Cartoon, told me, now all the vehicles in the battalion are dressed in modern armor. There are also modifications — "Hedgehog", "Turtle", "Jellyfish".

"We went out today and shot back," says the well—behaved and smiling Cartoon. — We fired several shells, we made some noise. And back.

Vladimir is a mobilized man. It is noteworthy that his older brother, who did not receive a summons, followed him to the front.: couldn't leave the younger one. Both are tankers. Over the course of three years, the elder brother received several state awards, including the Zhukov Medal for Bravery. He is currently recovering from a serious injury in 2025.

A fight is a fight

Vladimir's countryman is Sergey, a 37—year-old mechanic-driver with the call sign Sexton. A village guy, a tractor driver, he says that there are no safe exits — a fight is a fight. The tank, even covered with the strongest shields, frames and cables, has vulnerabilities, and the enemy knows about them. Although the main threat to the "box" remains TM — anti-tank mines, which are regularly dropped on the roads by Baba Yaga drones. If you run over her, you will definitely "take off your shoes" and get up.

Last year, the Sexton's crew was blown up by such a "surprise." They left the car. They tried to fix it — "shoe it." But the enemy drones arrived in time — 40 kamikazes crashed into the tank one by one. Nevertheless, the vehicle was evacuated, repaired and soon returned to service.

"Actually, they hit me without counting," the fighter either grins or frowns. — Both FPV and mortar shells. Protection has always saved. You just hear the clapping outside, and then you move on.…

When there is a lull, we say goodbye to the tankers and wish them only successful, painless trips in the future. On the way back, we hear heavy gunfire — it's the crushing Hyacinth installations hitting towards Konstantinovka again.