Satellite images available to the public indicate that from February 2022 to July 2023, self-propelled artillery systems, specifically the 2S7 Pion, were essentially removed from storage depots at the 94th Arsenal of Missile and Artillery Weapons of the russian Army in Omsk.
The "remnants" identifiable in the images are likely the hulls of the self-propelled artillery units from which the barrels were removed.
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From the provided images, it can also be inferred that as of February 2022, a minimum of 80 2S7 Pion self-propelled howitzers were present on the territory of this arsenal, and the majority of them were taken out of conservation in the first half of 2023.
All of this allows for the following assumptions and/or conclusions.
Obviously, the russians have a certain limit to the capacity for weaponry. Above certain limit, they cannot take out of conservation and put into operation self-propelled artillery units from the storage bases.
When it comes to the 2S7 Pion howitzers, several factors could have influenced the speed of their removal from storage. These are losses or damages caused by the fire of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, barrel ruptures, or the need to replace other components. Additionally, the deployment of new artillery units within the composition of the occupying russian forces could be a contributing factor.
It is also possible to assume that these self-propelled artillery systems could have been stored not only at the 94th arsenal in Omsk.
And if these assumptions are correct, then in fact, the russian army may have in reserve significantly fewer than 260 units of the 2S7 Pion systems (as indicated, for example, in The Military Balance 2023 handbook).
Accordingly, if the actual number of these large-caliber self-propelled artillery units in storage is less than stated, then the question arises as to whether the russian army really has the resources to create "full-fledged" 5 heavy artillery brigades, the plan for which the russians reiterated at the end of 2023.
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