Ukraine Receives 2S1 Gvozdika Self-Propelled Howitzers in Mysterious Camouflage, Potentially Supplied by Finland
A video is circulating on social media showing the combat operations of the artillerymen of the 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, who are firing at russian occupiers with 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers.
Special attention is drawn to the mysterious camouflage applied to this self-propelled howitzer, which clearly indicates the foreign origin of this weapon in the hands of Ukrainian defenders. The pattern of this camouflage suggests that the equipment may have been supplied from Finland.
The authors of the Finnish publication Suomen Sotilas make a similar assumption in their article. They suggest that the Finnish government might have transferred a certain number of 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers, also known as PSH 74, to the Ukrainian Armed Forces as Finland’s army gradually received South Korean K9 self-propelled howitzers.
It is noted that in the early 1990s, Finland purchased 74 units of 2S1 Gvozdika from the weapons stockpiles of the former East Germany. It should be noted, however, that according to The Military Balance 2023, at the beginning of last year, the Finnish army had only 36 self-propelled howitzers of this type in its inventory.
This, in turn, also allows for the assumption that Finland might have transferred 2S1 Gvozdika howitzers to the Ukrainian Armed Forces from its own stockpiles in storage. However, the exact number of howitzers transferred remains uncertain.
It is also important to emphasize that the exact timing of the transfer of these howitzers to the Ukrainian military remains unknown. The first suggestion that Finland might have provided Ukraine with Soviet 2S1 Gvozdika howitzers was made by the Oryx portal in August 2023.
The authors of this resource also noted that, in April 2023, Ukraine might have received a certain number of 2A36 Giatsint-B howitzers, locally designated as K89, from Finland. Additionally, there was mention that Finland might have surplus Buk SAM systems and Giatsint-S self-propelled howitzers, which could strengthen the Ukrainian Armed Forces.