2014 Russia-Ukraine War

120 mm mortar in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

120 mm mortars have been documented in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through OSCE crater analysis during the Donbas phase and Reuters Connect imagery of Ukrainian 24th Mechanized Brigade troops firing near Chasiv Yar in May 2025.

Weapon profile120 mm mortar
SideUkraineRoleFire Support
120 mm mortar, Heavy mortar, Artillery - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: M327 120mm Mortar on Wikimedia Commons

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Ukrainian 24th Mechanized Brigade servicemen fired a 120-mm mortar toward Russian troops near Chasiv Yar on 27 May 2025.

Sources: Reuters Connect Chasiv Yar 120-mm mortar image

OSCE crater analysis in Donetsk in November 2014 identified at least four craters caused by 120 mm mortar shells.

Sources: OSCE Donetsk School 2014 Mortar Spot Report

OSCE reporting in August 2015 assessed 120 mm mortar-shell craters near Chermalyk and crater evidence consistent with 120 mm mortar fire near Shchastia.

Sources: OSCE 27 August 2015 SMM Report

OSCE reporting in August 2019 assessed fresh impacts and house damage in Verkhnoshyrokivske as caused by 120 mm mortar rounds.

Sources: OSCE 13 August 2019 SMM Report

Timeline

120 mm mortar In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. OSCE assesses 120 mm mortar shell impacts in Donetsk

    After shelling near School No. 63 on Stepanenko Street in Donetsk, the OSCE SMM assessed that at least four craters had been caused by 120 mm mortar shells.

    Sources: OSCE Donetsk School 2014 Mortar Spot Report

  2. OSCE reports 120 mm mortar impacts near Chermalyk and Shchastia

    The OSCE SMM assessed fresh craters near Chermalyk as resulting from 120 mm mortar shells and separately assessed crater evidence near Shchastia as consistent with 120 mm mortar fire.

    Sources: OSCE 27 August 2015 SMM Report

  3. 120 mm mortar impacts damage houses in Verkhnoshyrokivske

    An OSCE SMM report based on information to 13 August 2019 described multiple fresh craters and house damage in Verkhnoshyrokivske assessed as caused by 120 mm mortar rounds.

    Sources: OSCE 13 August 2019 SMM Report

  4. Ukrainian 24th Mechanized Brigade fires near Chasiv Yar

    Reuters Connect documented servicemen of Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade firing a 120-mm mortar toward Russian troops near Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region.

    Sources: Reuters Connect Chasiv Yar 120-mm mortar image

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

Reuters Connect documented Ukrainian 24th Mechanized Brigade servicemen firing a 120-mm mortar toward Russian troops near Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region on 27 May 2025. The caption identifies the firing unit as the 24th Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and places the fire mission on the Chasiv Yar front during Russia's attack on Ukraine.

OSCE Special Monitoring Mission reports provide earlier direct evidence that 120 mm mortar rounds were being fired in the Donbas phase of the same conflict. In November 2014, the SMM assessed craters near School No. 63 on Stepanenko Street in Donetsk and concluded that at least four had been caused by 120 mm mortar shells. In August 2015, the SMM assessed fresh craters near Chermalyk as resulting from 120 mm mortar shells, and in August 2019 it assessed multiple fresh impacts and residential-house damage in Verkhnoshyrokivske as caused by 120 mm mortar rounds.

Sources: Reuters Connect Chasiv Yar 120-mm mortar image, OSCE Donetsk School 2014 Mortar Spot Report, OSCE 27 August 2015 SMM Report, OSCE 13 August 2019 SMM Report

Timeline

The public record shows 120 mm mortar use from the early Donbas fighting through the later full-scale invasion period. The OSCE's November 2014 Donetsk spot report is an early crater-analysis example; the August 2015 report shows 120 mm mortar impacts near Chermalyk and Shchastia; and the August 2019 report shows 120 mm mortar impacts around residential houses in Verkhnoshyrokivske.

The 2025 Reuters Connect image gives a later named-unit example: Ukrainian 24th Mechanized Brigade troops firing the caliber near Chasiv Yar, a heavily contested Donetsk-region sector of the full-scale war.

Sources: OSCE Donetsk School 2014 Mortar Spot Report, OSCE 27 August 2015 SMM Report, OSCE 13 August 2019 SMM Report, Reuters Connect Chasiv Yar 120-mm mortar image

Role in the conflict

Within the sourced conflict record, the 120 mm mortar appears as a heavy indirect-fire weapon used for front-line fire support and bombardment. The Reuters Connect image supports a Ukrainian fire-support role against Russian troops near Chasiv Yar, while OSCE reports document impacts, craters, and damaged civilian structures from 120 mm mortar rounds in Donetsk and Luhansk region locations before the 2022 full-scale invasion.

The evidence supports the caliber's presence across multiple phases of the war, but it does not always identify the exact mortar model, firing unit, or operator. For that reason, the parent compact row names Ukraine where the source identifies Ukrainian troops, while the OSCE incidents are treated as conflict-use evidence for 120 mm mortar fire without assigning an operator beyond what each report states.

Sources: Reuters Connect Chasiv Yar 120-mm mortar image, OSCE Donetsk School 2014 Mortar Spot Report, OSCE 27 August 2015 SMM Report, OSCE 13 August 2019 SMM Report

Related Weapons by Role

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Sources