“The weapon is good, but there are no long-range shells”: how Ukraine’s Bohdana howitzer operates in the Toretsk sector
The first Ukrainian gun designed for NATO-standard 155-millimeter shells, the Bohdana self-propelled howitzer, is operating on the Toretsk sector. Its distinctive feature is the ability to strike the enemy at distances of up to 40 kilometers (25 miles). However, during the Spring, when Frontliner visited a Bohdana self-propelled howitzer crew of the 100th Separate Mechanized Brigade at a defensive strip outside Toretsk, there had been no long-range shells for months, The crew, which had held the position for 10 months, had to work at short range — and a Frontliner reporter watched as the gun register a precise hit on a Russian target.
Morning in the artillerymen’s dugout begins before sunrise. The trenches are still pitch-dark, but coffee is already brewing behind a concealed door. The light in the dugout is dim, so the gun commander with the call sign “Kucheriavyi” (Ukrainian for “Curly”) shines a head-mounted flashlight on the table where the coffee is being prepared.
The Bohdana is already loaded and ready to fire. Formally called the 2S22 Bohdana self-propelled howitzer, the gun has “officially” been in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2023. Before that, the howitzer received its unofficial baptism of fire in the 2022 battle for Snake Island.
In recent years, crew members have grown accustomed to firing at the enemy from 20 to 30 kilometers (12 to 19 miles) away. But for now, that is impossible. In this sector, the crew under Kucheriavyi’s command engages targets 10 to 12 kilometers (6 to 7.5 miles) away, in Toretsk itself. There are enough shells for this short-range work, both American-made and Ukrainian-made. According to the commander, there is no difference between them.
“The weapon is good, but there are no long-range shells.”
He sits down next to his comrade and looks at the map on his phone. Everyone here slept poorly because the night was not peaceful; at midnight, Russians struck the area with KABs — large glide bombs launched from jets.
Another feature of the Bohdana is its mobility. The system can drive to the required distance, engage a target, and return. Currently, however, the gun is buried in the ground.
The reason: Lancets, or Russian loitering munitions, kamikaze drones.
“We dug in when Lancets started catching up with us. There was even a fire at this position because of a Lancet. The terrain here doesn’t allow for much driving — the enemy is very close, there are fields all around, and few forests,” Kucheriavyi explains.
Before entering the Toretsk defensive strip, the artillerymen operated in the Kursk Oblast. Back then, Bohdana had long-range shells to work with, and the crew could drive 20 kilometers (12 miles) out from the position to fire and then return. With those options, the gun fired some 300 shells in two days amid intense fighting.
Early in the morning, a Russian drone searches for its target and flies over the position. Everyone waits in the dugout. When the sky clears, the communications officer of the unit with the call sign “Rezhyser” (Director) reports. He returned to the ranks a few days ago after being wounded. He is in contact with the unit, in particular with the drone pilots who are monitoring the situation. While they wait for clear skies, Rezhyser reminisces about the time when the crew could drive the gun far out and safely “rain down” shells on the enemy.
“With long-range shells we struck Russian ammunition depots, we ‘caught’ a tank on the move, [and hit] armored vehicles. “We tore up [Russian positions] in the village of Valuyki [close to the Russian-Ukrainian border]… four guns, 20 quick shells each: a few ranging shots first, and then the ‘disco’ began — that was the most interesting,” Rezhyser says.
Since the beginning of 2025, Germany and the Czech Republic have been supplying 155-millimeter shells to Ukraine. As of mid-February this year, the Czech Republic had already delivered at least 1.6 million such shells. In addition, Ukraine produces its own 155-millimeter shells. Even so, this is not enough to supply every gun of this caliber in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Even before sunrise, the crew under the command of Kucheriavyi receives an order to engage the enemy with the gun at close range. Rezhyser relays the message and stays in the dugout to maintain communications with the unit. The others leave coffee unfinished on the table, throw on their gear as they go, and dial in the coordinates. The Bohdana then strikes a concentration of Russian personnel in the temporarily occupied part of Toretsk.
Text: Albina Karman
Photos: Andriy Dubchak, Albina Karman
Adapted: Jared Goyette
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