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Russian BM-21 Grad Hit Mid-March as Ukrainian Drones Tear Through Artillery Position, Video
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Ukraine’s Phoenix border guard unit destroyed three Russian artillery systems, a concentration of FPV drones, and other military equipment in the Dobropillia direction, Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service reported on July 21.
The targets included two Russian 152mm towed artillery pieces—an Msta-B howitzer and a Giatsint-B field gun—as well as a BM-21 Grad multiple-launch rocket system.
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Ukrainian drone operators caught the Grad while it was moving, striking the launcher before it could reach a firing position.
The Phoenix unit also destroyed a group of FPV drones that Russian forces had prepared for combat use and inflicted personnel losses.
The BM-21 Grad, whose name means “Hail,” is one of the world’s most widely used multiple-launch rocket systems. Developed in the early 1960s, it entered Soviet service in 1963 and has since appeared in conflicts around the world.
💥 Мінус гаубиці і «Град» – як прикордонники полюють на артилерію
— Державна прикордонна служба України (@DPSU_ua) July 22, 2026
Бійці підрозділу «Фенікс» на Добропільському напрямку знищили гаубиці «Мста-Б» та «Гіацинт-Б», БМ-21 «Град» просто на марші, скупчення FPV-«ждунів», завдали втрат живій силі та знищили техніку противника. pic.twitter.com/D4dXmjJana
Mounted on a Ural-4320 truck, the system carries 40 launch tubes for 122mm rockets. It can fire a full salvo in roughly 20 seconds, covering an area of up to 14.5 hectares.
Depending on the ammunition, the Grad can strike targets at ranges of up to 40 kilometers, or about 25 miles. Its crew can reload the launcher in approximately seven minutes and leave the firing position within about a minute after completing a salvo.
The Msta-B and Giatsint-B are both Soviet-designed 152mm towed artillery systems, but they were built for different battlefield roles.
The Msta-B was developed as a more modern replacement for the older D-20 howitzer. Its high-arc fire makes it effective against entrenched troops, defensive positions, and targets concealed behind terrain.
The Giatsint-B was designed primarily for long-range counterbattery fire and attacks on heavy equipment. Its longer barrel and larger propellant charge provide greater range and a flatter trajectory, although the weapon suffers from faster barrel wear and uses ammunition incompatible with many other Soviet 152mm systems.
Earlier, Ukrainian artillery forces destroyed three Russian 152mm 2A65 Msta-B towed howitzers and struck an enemy troop concentration during targeted combat operations in southern Ukraine.
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