Direct proof of use
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence reported on 8 May 2025 that it had codified and authorized three domestically produced smoothbore pump-action shotgun modifications for operational use by the Defence Forces. The ministry identified them as 12-gauge weapons using 76 mm shells and said pump-action shotguns had demonstrated effectiveness in the Russian-Ukrainian war against enemy kamikaze drones.
Field reporting gives unit-level context for that official statement. Business Insider reported in June 2025 that a drone operator in Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces said his unit carried a 12-gauge shotgun on every mission, while another Ukrainian drone operator said his unit had a 12-gauge shotgun for shooting down drones if needed.
Sources: MoD Pump-Action Shotguns Authorized, Business Insider Fiber-Optic Drones
Timeline
By April 2024, reporting on Ukraine's 68th Jaeger Brigade described Ukrainian soldiers incorporating Turkish Hatsan Escort BTS 12 shotguns for anti-drone work and training to engage aerial drones. The report identified the BTS12 as a 12-gauge, gas-operated, magazine-fed semi-automatic shotgun and attributed imagery to Ukraine's Ministry of Defence.
On 8 May 2025, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence announced authorization of three domestic pump-action shotgun modifications. On 16 June 2025, Business Insider described front-line reliance on shotguns against fiber-optic drones that cannot be defeated by radio-frequency jamming. In October 2025, ArmyInform reported Ukrainian legionnaires training with 12-gauge smoothbore shotguns for drone defense and close-range fighting.
Sources: Ukraine Adopts Turkish BTS 12 Shotgun, MoD Pump-Action Shotguns Authorized, Business Insider Fiber-Optic Drones, ArmyInform 12th Gauge
Narrative
The shotgun's documented role in this conflict was not as a primary infantry rifle replacement. Ukrainian sources and field reporting describe it as a close-range defensive weapon: a last-layer countermeasure against FPV and kamikaze drones, and a secondary weapon for infantry in trenches, urban terrain, and other confined spaces.
The counter-drone use was shaped by the limits of electronic warfare. Business Insider reported that fiber-optic drones are controlled through a physical cable rather than a radio link, making them resistant to jamming. Ukrainian drone-training and military personnel quoted in the report described kinetic defeat with shotguns as a practical fallback when electronic warfare or other systems were unavailable or ineffective.
The evidence points to multiple 12-gauge configurations rather than one standardized model. The Ministry of Defence announcement covered domestic pump-action shotguns; Army Recognition reported Turkish Hatsan Escort BTS 12 semi-automatic shotguns with the 68th Jaeger Brigade; ArmyInform described both semi-automatic and pump-action shotguns, including Safari bullpup-pattern weapons, in Ukrainian legion service.
Sources: MoD Pump-Action Shotguns Authorized, Business Insider Fiber-Optic Drones, Ukraine Adopts Turkish BTS 12 Shotgun, ArmyInform 12th Gauge
