2A65 Msta-B

Conflict Usage

Russia-Ukraine War

Side: Russia / UkraineRole: Towed artillery fire supportstrike

Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have used the Soviet-designed 152 mm 2A65 Msta-B as a towed artillery system, including Ukrainian firing near Zaporizhzhia and Bakhmut in 2023 and Russian Western Military District firing missions against Ukrainian positions in May 2022.

Syrian Civil War

Side: Syrian government and alliesRole: Ground artillery fire supportstrike

Open-source investigators documented 2A65 Msta-B howitzers in use in Syria in late 2015, including footage near Eastern Homs and Palmyra linked to Russian forces operating alongside the Syrian government side.

Related Weapon Systems

ArtilleryD-20152 mm towed gun-howitzerThe D-20 is a Soviet 152 mm towed gun-howitzer developed in the early Cold War for divisional and army-level fire support. Its split-trail carriage, semi-automatic breech, and standard 17.4 km range made it a long-lived Warsaw Pact artillery system, and Ukrainian forces have documented captured Russian D-20s being turned back against Russian units during the Russia-Ukraine War.

ArtilleryD-30 122 mm howitzer122 mm towed howitzerThe D-30 is a Soviet 122 mm towed howitzer built around a distinctive three-leg carriage that gives the gun 360-degree traverse. In the Russia-Ukraine War it remains relevant because both armies use Soviet-caliber artillery, Ukraine has received additional D-30s from partners, and Russian D-30 positions continue to appear in frontline strike reporting.

ArtilleryL118 Light Gun105 mm towed light howitzerThe L118 Light Gun is a British 105 mm towed artillery system built for mobile field artillery, airborne movement, and rapid emplacement. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Ukraine's directly sourced combat context is tied to the L119 variant of the same light-gun family, supplied by the United Kingdom and supported by allied training and maintenance.

ArtilleryM101 105 mm Howitzer105 mm towed field howitzerThe M101 is a U.S.-origin 105 mm towed field howitzer whose low weight, standard 105 mm ammunition, and simple split-trail carriage kept it useful long after World War II. In Ukraine, Lithuanian-donated M101A1 guns provide shorter-range tube artillery for infantry fire support where mobility, available ammunition, and survivable dispersed gun positions matter more than modern 155 mm range.

ArtilleryM119105 mm lightweight towed howitzerThe M119 is the U.S. 105 mm lightweight towed howitzer derived from the British L119 light gun and built around air-mobile infantry fire support. The M119A3 variant adds digital fire control, self-location, and communications upgrades while retaining a light carriage that can be moved by trucks, cargo aircraft, or helicopter. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Ukrainian forces received 105 mm howitzers and were documented training on American M119A3 guns to add a mobile, NATO-standard light artillery option alongside heavier 155 mm systems.

Artillery2S3 Akatsiya152 mm tracked self-propelled howitzerThe 2S3 Akatsiya is a Soviet 152 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer built around the 2A33 gun and a turreted armored chassis. Designed for divisional fire support and accepted into service in 1971, it remains relevant in the Russia-Ukraine War because Russian forces still use legacy Akatsiya batteries for indirect fires despite newer self-propelled artillery types.

Sources