The war in Ukraine is getting ever more brutal by the second.

Does Putin have any chance of winning? Can Ukraine recapture all lost territory like Crimea?

How long will the West and NATO give Kyiv what looks like unlimited amounts of arms?

We know one thing: social media will tell us who is winning and who is losing in the months to come.

'Artillery Melted': Footage Shows Russia's 'Big Guns' Were Destroyed 

Several Russian MT-12 Rapira 100mm anti-tank guns proved no match for Ukrainian artillery, as noted in a video shared on Twitter by Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) in April of last year.

One Rapira was destroyed, while two others were reportedly damaged in the artillery duel.

In addition, a Ural ammo truck was also hit and destroyed in the recent exchange near the village of Bilohorivka in the Donetsk Oblast – which is located approximately 82 kilometers (51 miles) north-north-east from the center of the city of Donetsk.

The village had come under attack by Russian forces in the early stages of the Kremlin's invasion a little over a year ago. Since November of 2022, the settlement – which has largely been destroyed in the fighting – has been under the control of the Russian Armed Forces.

At the time in April of 2023,the Russian guns were deployed on the outskirts of the village, and a Ukrainian drone that was operated by the 40th Artillery Brigade with assistance from the 10th Mountain Brigade was able to successfully target the positions. Clearly, the 100mm anti-tank guns, which appeared to be deployed for indirect fire proved no match for Ukraine's M777 155mm howitzMove to Trashers.

Even with high-explosive fragmentation (HE-FRAG) rounds, the towed MT-12 has a range of just 8,200 meters (9,000 yards). By contrast, the British-made M777 has an effective firing range of 13 miles with the M017 155mm high explosive projectiles that were likely employed in this strike. The rounds, which can be loaded to accept both Point Detonating (PD) and Proximity Fuzes, are considered low-cost munitions for general Harassment and Interdiction (H&I) fire missions.

The United States and its allies pledged a number of M777 artillery systems to Kyiv  – and many have been delivered as of April. The weapons have proven crucial to Ukraine's war effort. With the right ordnance, the weapon has been described as a "giant sniper rifle," a point that was made clear in the recent video.

Targeting Russian Positions in Ukraine

It is likely the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade "Edelweiss" – one of the Ukrainian Ground Forces elite units operating in the Donbas region – conducted the reconnaissance mission with the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and provided the coordinates to the 40th Separate Artillery Brigade. 

This should serve as a good example of how drones have greatly aided artillery in spotting enemy positions.

Both the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade and the 40th Separate Artillery Brigade have continued to target Russian ground forces with drones. Last fall's attacks by Kremlin troops had run into a "wall of Ukrainian artillery;" and the field guns supported by drones had proven to play a significant role in saving Kyiv in the early stages of the invasion last year.

#Ukraine: A Russian MT-12 Rapira 100mm anti-tank gun along with a Ural ammo truck were destroyed by the Ukrainian 40th Artillery Brigade in cooperation with the 10th Mountain Brigade near Bilohorivka, #Donetsk Oblast.

Two more MT-12 were also damaged by artillery fire. pic.twitter.com/oEx3ULdcnO

— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) April 19, 2023

Unless the Kremlin can find a way of blinding the Ukrainians, it is likely no ground near the front can be considered "safe!"

Author Experience and Expertise:

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.