2014 Russia-Ukraine War

2S35 Koalitsiya-SV in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

The 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV appeared in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through limited Russian deployment and reported counter-battery use from late 2023.

Weapon profile2S35 Koalitsiya-SV
SideRussiaRoleFire Support
2S35 Koalitsiya-SV, 152 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer, Artillery - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: File:2S35 Koalitsiya-SV - 0-06.jpg

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Russian forces were reported to have used single 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV examples in the Ukraine operation zone in December 2023.

Sources: Rossiyskaya Gazeta TASS Single Examples

The reported battlefield role was counter-battery fire against Ukrainian artillery.

Sources: Rossiyskaya Gazeta TASS Single Examples, Army Recognition Ukraine Deployment

Rostec stated that state trials were completed in October 2023 and that serial production could begin.

Sources: Rostec State Trials

Chemezov stated that the first pilot batch was being delivered at the end of December 2023 for expected use in the operation zone.

Sources: Rostec Chemezov Interview, RFE/RL Reuters Koalitsiya Deployment

The broader public record remains limited and earlier claims of Ukraine combat use were described by Canadian Army Journal as unsubstantiated at the time of writing.

Sources: Canadian Army Journal Koalitsiya Modernization

Timeline

2S35 Koalitsiya-SV In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. State trials completed

    Rostec announced that state trials of the 152 mm Koalitsiya-SV self-propelled artillery gun had been completed, enabling serial-production claims before the late-2023 Ukraine deployment reporting.

    Sources: Rostec State Trials

  2. Russian report claims single examples in use

    Rossiyskaya Gazeta, citing TASS and a source close to the military department, reported that single Koalitsiya-SV examples were being used in the operation and that counter-battery fighting was their main task.

    Sources: Rossiyskaya Gazeta TASS Single Examples

  3. Rostec says pilot batch is being delivered

    Chemezov told RIA Novosti that the Koalitsiya-SV would soon appear in the operation zone and that the first pilot batch was being delivered at the end of December 2023.

    Sources: Rostec Chemezov Interview, RFE/RL Reuters Koalitsiya Deployment

  4. Russian artillerymen reported to have received first vehicles

    Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported that Russian artillerymen in the operation zone had received the first Koalitsiya-SV examples and that the system would be tested in combat.

    Sources: Rossiyskaya Gazeta Frontline Receipt

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

Russian state reporting placed the 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV on the Ukraine front in December 2023. Rossiyskaya Gazeta, citing TASS and a source close to the Russian military department, reported that single examples were already being used in the operation and identified counter-battery fighting as their main task; the same article said the first vehicles had fired on the line of contact against Ukrainian artillery.

Reuters reporting carried by RFE/RL on December 27, 2023 added operator and delivery context. Rostec chief Sergei Chemezov said that the Koalitsiya-SV had completed testing, that mass production had started, and that the first pilot batch would be delivered by the end of 2023 for use against Ukrainian forces. RFE/RL also noted the earlier TASS report that single Koalitsiya-SV howitzers had already been deployed to the Ukrainian front line.

Sources: Rossiyskaya Gazeta TASS Single Examples, RFE/RL Reuters Koalitsiya Deployment, Rostec Chemezov Interview

Timeline

The conflict-use chronology is concentrated in a short late-2023 fielding window. Rostec announced completion of state trials in October 2023, Russian state media reported single examples in the war zone in December, and Chemezov described the first pilot batch as being delivered at the end of that month.

Sources: Rostec State Trials, Rossiyskaya Gazeta TASS Single Examples, RFE/RL Reuters Koalitsiya Deployment, Rostec Chemezov Interview, Rossiyskaya Gazeta Frontline Receipt

Battlefield role

The documented role is Russian long-range tube artillery, especially counter-battery fire. The December 2023 Russian report described limited use by single vehicles and framed the system as intended to affect counter-battery warfare rather than as a widely fielded artillery fleet. Army Recognition's specialist summary used the same role framing and described the deployment as limited in number while noting that official confirmation was still pending.

Rostec's technical and production statements explain why Russian sources tied the weapon to that role. The company described a 152 mm automated self-propelled artillery gun intended to engage artillery and mortar batteries, armored vehicles, personnel, air-defense assets, command posts, and fortifications; Chemezov specifically connected the Koalitsiya-SV's expected Ukraine deployment to a claimed range advantage over Western artillery.

Sources: Rossiyskaya Gazeta TASS Single Examples, Army Recognition Ukraine Deployment, Rostec State Trials, Rostec Chemezov Interview

Public record

The open record does not resemble the loss-and-capture documentation available for older Russian artillery systems in the same war. A Canadian Army Journal article noted that earlier Russian state-media claims of 2S35 use in Ukraine were unsubstantiated by credible sources at the time of writing and stated that the system had not yet entered combat. The later December 2023 reports therefore remain the central public basis for this conflict-use entry.

The public record does not include an independently verified loss list, captured-vehicle image, or location-specific battlefield report showing broad Koalitsiya-SV combat service. The system's documented conflict use is limited Russian fielding and reported counter-battery employment from late 2023 rather than large-scale deployment.

Sources: Canadian Army Journal Koalitsiya Modernization, Rossiyskaya Gazeta TASS Single Examples, RFE/RL Reuters Koalitsiya Deployment

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Sources