Ukraine’s military reported on Thursday that Russian forces have lost more than 20,000 artillery systems since the onset of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. According to Kyiv’s General Staff, Moscow’s total artillery losses stand at 20,013, with 58 additional systems destroyed over the past day. Newsweek, which covered the report, was unable to independently verify these figures and sought a response from the Russian Defense Ministry, which has yet to provide comment.
Artillery has proven pivotal in the grinding land conflict that has defined much of the fighting across eastern and southern Ukraine. Both Kyiv and Moscow heavily rely on artillery systems for this, the largest land war in Europe since World War II. Alongside U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and various howitzer models, Ukraine also deploys its domestically produced Bohdana howitzers, which use NATO-standard 155mm shells. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Wednesday that Kyiv is producing nearly 20 Bohdana howitzers monthly to meet demand on the front lines.
