Russians started using D-74 guns of the 1950s

A video has been posted on social media showing the Russian occupiers using a rare 122mm D-74 cannon. This is the first time this artillery system has been used in a full-scale war against Ukraine.

Here's What We Know

The situation is interesting because D-74s were produced back in the 1950s and in very limited quantities. And formally, the Russian army did not have a single gun of this type in its inventory.

Defense Express looked into The Military Balance 2023 and noticed that D-74s were not listed at the Russian army's preservation bases. Instead, there were 2,000 units of 122mm M-30 howitzers, which generally date back to the Second World War.

Thus, it was more logical to expect the appearance of M-30s in the combat formations of Russian troops, rather than the rare D-74s. Especially since, according to the Russians themselves, these guns were sold to "people's democracies" before the 1980s.

However, there is a nuance: North Korea may have these weapons in its possession, and China once produced them under the Type 59 index.

Based on everything, it is likely that it was the Koreans or the Chinese who helped with these outdated guns.

Source: Defence Express