Artillery is playing a vital role in Ukraine

OTHER FLASHIER devices get more attention. The tank-busting Javelin is the star of various memes. The Turkish TB2 drone has its own catchy song. But no weapon has been more important in the war in Ukraine than artillery–and it is likely to become even more significant still in the coming weeks.

An adviser to General Valery Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s top commander, recently explained how his forces halted the Russian advance on Kyiv. “Anti-tank missiles slowed the Russians down,” he said, “but what killed them was our artillery. That was what broke their units.” In the current fighting in southern and eastern Ukraine, where the two sides are more entrenched, artillery is even more pivotal. And the more sophisticated versions Western countries have started to give Ukraine could make all the difference.