K6-family 120 mm mortars entered the Ukraine war record through 2022 transfers and Ukrainian M120 training, giving Ukraine additional heavy mortar fire-support capacity.
| Claim | Sources |
|---|---|
| Ukraine received K-6 120mm mortars in 2022. | Sources: SIPRI K-6 Ukraine Transfers |
| The United States announced a 2022 Ukraine package with 20 120 mm mortar systems and associated ammunition. | |
| Ukrainian personnel trained on M120 Mortar at Grafenwoehr in 2022. | Sources: DoD IG Ukraine Training Audit |
| The U.S. M120 and M121 are K6-family designations. | Sources: WeaponSystems.net 120mm Soltam K6 |
Timeline
The Defense Department announced a $1 billion drawdown for Ukraine that included 20 120 mm mortar systems and 20,000 rounds of associated mortar ammunition.
SIPRI transfer-register data list K-6 120mm mortar deliveries to Ukraine from the United States and Denmark in 2022.
Sources: SIPRI K-6 Ukraine Transfers
A DoD Inspector General audit of April-December 2022 training at Grafenwoehr lists M120 Mortar among the platforms on which Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel trained.
Sources: DoD IG Ukraine Training Audit
The K6-family 120 mm mortar is documented in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through transfer and training records for Ukraine. SIPRI transfer-register data list K-6 120mm mortars delivered to Ukraine from the United States and Denmark in 2022, while a U.S. Defense Department briefing identified an August 2022 drawdown package that included 20 120 mm mortar systems and 20,000 rounds of associated mortar ammunition.
A DoD Inspector General audit of Ukrainian Armed Forces training lists M120 Mortar among the platforms on which Ukrainian personnel trained at Grafenwoehr in 2022. WeaponSystems.net identifies the U.S. M120 and M121 as K6 variants in U.S. service, tying that M120 training record to the Soltam K6 family.
Sources: SIPRI K-6 Ukraine Transfers, DoD August 2022 Ukraine 120mm Mortars, DoD IG Ukraine Training Audit, WeaponSystems.net 120mm Soltam K6
The public record places the main K6/M120 milestones in 2022, after Russia's full-scale invasion turned Ukraine's existing war with Russia into a nationwide fight. DoD announced 20 additional 120 mm mortar systems for Ukraine in August, the DoD Inspector General later documented M120 Mortar training within the April-December 2022 Grafenwoehr training scope, and SIPRI records K-6 mortar deliveries to Ukraine during the same year.
Sources: DoD August 2022 Ukraine 120mm Mortars, DoD IG Ukraine Training Audit, SIPRI K-6 Ukraine Transfers
The documented role was heavy indirect fire support supplied to Ukraine as part of the wider foreign-aid pipeline. In U.S. service the M120 is the towed or ground-mounted K6-family mortar, a 120 mm smoothbore system for high-angle fire support; the Ukrainian record therefore fits the broader use of 120 mm mortars for battalion-level fire support rather than a long-range artillery role.
The available sources separate three claims: SIPRI records K-6 transfers to Ukraine, DoD publicly announced 120 mm mortar-system aid and ammunition, and the DoD Inspector General documented Ukrainian training on M120 Mortar. The cited public sources used here do not identify a named Ukrainian unit firing a K6/M120 in a specific battlefield engagement.
Sources: WeaponSystems.net 120mm Soltam K6, SIPRI K-6 Ukraine Transfers, DoD August 2022 Ukraine 120mm Mortars, DoD IG Ukraine Training Audit
