A rare Russian Arctic self-propelled artillery system, the 120-mm Magnolia, was involved in a road accident in Perm.
The incident occurred when the tracked vehicle slid off its transport trailer at a turn and collided with a fence.
The Magnolia is a highly specialized weapon system developed for extreme Arctic conditions. Built by Central Scientific Research Institute (TsNII) Burevestnik, the vehicle combines the combat compartment of the 2S31 Vena with the robust, armored two-link tracked chassis of the DT-30PM Vityaz.
The Magnolia’s primary weapon, the A280 artillery, merges the capabilities of a howitzer and a mortar, allowing it to fire a wide variety of artillery munitions. These include standard high-explosive fragmentation shells, mortar rounds, and even guided munitions.
❗️A rare Russian Arctic 120mm self-propelled gun “Magnolia” was involved in a road accident in 🇷🇺Perm yesterday. pic.twitter.com/Ug3an523cr
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) January 26, 2025
With its advanced fire-control system, the Magnolia crew can engage in independent fire correction based on visible impacts or conduct counter-battery fire against targets beyond the visible horizon. This enhances its adaptability in combat scenarios, providing the ability to strike a wide range of targets, from ground positions to small naval vessels.
The Magnolia’s maximum effective ranges are up to 8.5 km with conventional high-explosive shells; up to 7 km with mortar ammunition; up to 10 km with guided munitions.
In August 2022, Uralvagonzavod announced the start of serial production of the Magnolia artillery system. However, since then, there has been little information regarding its deployment to Russian armed forces. The accident in Perm provides a rare glimpse of this unique military asset outside of its typical operational environment.
The vehicle was being transported through the streets of Perm on a flatbed trailer when the accident occurred. As the transport vehicle attempted to negotiate a turn, the Magnolia slid off the trailer and struck a fence. While the full extent of the damage has not been disclosed, the images from the incident suggest that the vehicle sustained minimal harm to its chassis and artillery systems.