Russian MoD shows claimed latest Krasnopol-M2 control panel

Screengrab of the Krasnopol-M2 control panel seen in a Russian Ministry of Defence video published on 5 December 2025. (Russian Ministry of Defence )

The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has shared a video purporting to show its Tsentr (Centre) group of forces using a control panel for command-and-control (C2) of a Krasnopol-M2 guided artillery projectile (GAP) in eastern Ukraine, according to an online MoD post on 5 December.

According to the Russian MoD post, the Krasnopol-M2 was fired by an MSTA-S self-propelled howitzer (SPH) after spotting provided by an Orlan unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) targeting a Ukrainian command post near Myrnohrad in the Donetsk region.

The Orlan UAV provided target co-ordinates that were then fed into the Krasnopol-M2 control panel before the projectile was launched, a senior Russian officer said in a Russian MoD video shared on 5 December by Rossiya-1 TV channel.

An older version of the Krasnopol-M2 weapons system is the Krasnopol-M that includes the Malakhit portable automatic fire-control system (FCS), according to a video shared by the Krasnopol manufacturer KBP Instrument Design Bureau. The Malakhit system includes, in addition to a laser target designator-rangefinder, a thermal imaging sight, a PC or tablet, satellite navigation equipment, and a digital radio station, as Janes has previously reported. The new control panel, which was not named in the Russian MoD video, seems to be more compact than the Malakhit terminal that was the previous standard.

“After the reconnaissance is carried out, the target is identified and then we receive the co-ordinates for the target. The co-ordinates for the target are sent to the control panel of the battery and the calculations are made,” Vladimir Platov, identified as a senior battery officer, says in the Russian MoD video.