The deplorable state of Putin's army. It can even be seen from space

The photos published by the user "HighMarsed" on the X platform (formerly Twitter) are supposed to be evidence of Russians' problems with providing proper technical support for vehicles used on the front line. From satellite photos, it seems that Putin's army is dealing with a shortage of barrels for the S25 Hyacinth-S howitzers.

"I found evidence that Russia may be running out of barrels for 2S5 Hyacinth-S" - we read on X. The photos show the 94th Arsenal Base in the Russian city of Omsk, where the 2S5 Hyacinth self-propelled howitzers are stored. This is also the place where the Russians repair units damaged on the front and restore their combat readiness.

Even before the war, at least 300 units of Hyacinths were stored in Omsk, but by May 2023, the number had been reduced by half to 155. "HighMarsed" notes, however, that the machines stored at the base do not have barrels (with the exception of four howitzer units).

This means that Putin's army is no longer able to provide new (or refurbished) barrels to the 2S5 vehicles. The machines currently on the front line - in case of damage to this key element - will become completely useless, as it may not be possible to install a working gun in them.

The self-propelled howitzer 2S5 is a weapon that, since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has been a significant target for the defending army. This is primarily due to the fact that it is a machine adapted for atomic missile bombardment.

Her first prototypes appeared in the mid-70s of the last century, in 1976. That's when the serial production of 2S5 started and it continued until the beginning of the last decade of the past century. A total of over 1.1 thousand Hyacinths were produced.

The basic armament of the 2S5 is the 152 mm 2A37 howitzer cannon with a rifled bore. It is also worth noting the presence of the chain mechanism responsible for semi-automatic loading of shells. As for the type of charges that the Hyacinth can fire, these are primarily nuclear, chemical and laser-guided shells (Krasnopol). The 2S5 also handles high-explosive fragmentation ammunition OF-29 weighing over 40 pounds, as well as OF-39 and OF-59.