Russia will soon deploy its newest howitzers to its borders with Finland and Norway, officials have said.

The first batch of the Coalition-SV self-propelled artillery units will be delivered to Russia’s Northern Military District by the end of 2023, according to Sergei Chemezov, the head of the Rostec state defence conglomerate.

“Howitzers of this class are needed to provide an advantage over Western artillery models in terms of firing range,” Mr Chemezov told state news agency RIA.

Moscow has repeatedly accused the West of fighting a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine and threatened to build up forces along its western borders following Finland’s accession to the US-led NATO alliance.

Earlier this month, Russian media reported that single Coalition-SV howitzers had already been deployed to the frontlines in Ukraine.

The howitzers have a range of up to 70 kilometres (44 miles) and are equipped with a modern 2A88 cannon of 152 mm caliber with a firing rate of more than 10 rounds per minute, as well as a modern system for automating the processes of gun pointing, target selection and navigation, according to the reports.

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