Russia’s new 2S43 Malva howitzer reportedly destroyed in combat
Published on the X platform, the photos suggest that in the Kursk region, the Russians lost their latest artillery system – the 2S43 Malva howitzer. If the loss is confirmed, it would be the first howitzer of this type lost by the Russian army.
2S43 Malva is the latest of the Russian, combat-used, barrel artillery systems with a 152 mm calibre. Its prototype was presented in 2020, and combat use was first recorded in 2024 in the Belgorod region. The Malvas have participated, among other actions, in shelling Ukrainian positions in the Kursk region.
The photos of the destroyed howitzer are reportedly from this region. They show – as Defence 24 analyses – a destroyed vehicle resembling the Russian 2S43 Malva howitzer. It is burned but remains structurally intact, which – according to Defence 24 – suggests an attack by an FPV drone. The open doors of the vehicle also indicate that at least part of the crew managed to evacuate.
Reports about the destruction of the Malva have not yet been confirmed and are based on several difficult-to-verify photographs. However, if the Russian weapon was indeed destroyed, it is probably the first combat loss of this system.
The primacy of western artillery
The 2S43 Malva is a Russian self-propelled howitzer mounted on a wheeled chassis, which reduces its weight compared to artillery on tracked chassis, facilitating air transport. The Malva weighs about 35 tonnes, while the tracked 2S19 Msta-S howitzer is 46 tonnes, and the 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV is 61 tonnes. Competitive systems are lighter – for example, the Ukrainian 2S22 Bohdana howitzer weighs about 31 tonnes, and the French CAESAR just 20 tonnes.
Although the 2S43 Malva is Russia's newest artillery system, it falls short of its western counterparts in terms of range, allowing for firing at distances up to 35 kilometres, while the western standard is currently about 40 kilometres. This is partly due to the Russians using a proportionally shorter barrel with a length of 47 calibres, whereas the standard in modern artillery has become a length of 52 calibres.
Years ago, Poland was also working on a weapon with similar characteristics, resulting in the prototype of the Kryl howitzer. However, the Kryl development programme was abandoned, and the Ministry of National Defence – according to declarations from early 2025 – does not plan to introduce a system with similar characteristics into service in the next decade.
