2014 Russia-Ukraine War

122 mm 9M22S Grad Rocket in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

The 122 mm 9M22S Grad rocket was documented in Ukraine as a ground-launched incendiary rocket, with 2014 Donbas remnants and later full-scale-war use signatures linked to BM-21 Grad or Tornado-G family launchers.

Weapon profile122 mm 9M22S Grad rocket
SideRussiaRoleArea DenialFire Support
122 mm 9M22S Grad rocket, 122 mm incendiary rocket, Munitions - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: 9M22 Rocket

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
9M22S incendiary rocket remnants and capsules were documented in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

Sources: HRW Incendiary Weapons Recent Use, ARES 9M22S Eastern Ukraine 2014

HRW's 2014 memorandum did not determine who launched the Ilovaisk or Luhanskoe attacks; HRW's 2022 Q&A later attributed July-August 2014 9M22S Grad use to Russia-backed separatist forces.

Sources: HRW Incendiary Weapons Recent Use, HRW Ukraine Incendiary Weapons Q&A

ARES documented 2022 Novoiakovlivka remnants as 9M22S or 9M28S and described Popasna footage as visually consistent with 9M22S.

Sources: ARES 9M22S Ukraine 2022

DFRLab assessed May 2022 Azovstal footage as more likely Russian 9M22S incendiary munitions from Grad multiple-launch rocket systems than white phosphorus.

Sources: DFRLab Mariupol Incendiaries

Timeline

122 mm 9M22S Grad rocket In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. ARES documents likely 9M22S components in eastern Ukraine

    ARES reported that incendiary components recovered from eastern Ukraine in late July were likely from the Russian 9M22S rocket.

    Sources: ARES 9M22S Eastern Ukraine 2014

  2. Luhanskoe residents report night-time incendiary effects

    Human Rights Watch reported resident accounts from Luhanskoe on the night of July 25-26 and said researchers found pieces of hexagonal incendiary capsules at the site.

    Sources: HRW Incendiary Weapons Recent Use

  3. Ilovaisk incident follows August fighting

    Human Rights Watch said Ilovaisk residents described weapons resembling fireworks falling on the northwest part of town after August 14, while researchers found misfired 122 mm Grad 9M22S rockets south-southwest of Ilovaisk.

    Sources: HRW Incendiary Weapons Recent Use

  4. Popasna footage shows likely 9M22S visual signatures

    ARES described video recorded near Popasna, Luhansk Oblast, as showing incendiary-weapon functioning visually consistent with 9M22S rockets.

    Sources: ARES 9M22S Ukraine 2022

  5. Novoiakovlivka remnants documented

    ARES assessed images from Novoiakovlivka near Zaporizhzhia as showing 9M22S or 9M28S 122 mm incendiary rocket remnants, likely fired by Grad or Tornado-G family launchers.

    Sources: ARES 9M22S Ukraine 2022

  6. Azovstal footage assessed as likely 9M22S use

    DFRLab geolocated footage of an incendiary strike on the Azovstal plant in Mariupol and assessed Russian 9M22S Grad incendiary munitions as the more likely identification.

    Sources: DFRLab Mariupol Incendiaries

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

Human Rights Watch documented incendiary-weapon use in eastern Ukraine during field missions in 2014, including misfired 122 mm Grad 9M22S rockets equipped with 9N510 incendiary warheads near Ilovaisk and pieces of hexagonal incendiary capsules at Ilovaisk and Luhanskoe. ARES separately identified incendiary components recovered from eastern Ukraine in late July 2014 as likely from the Russian 9M22S rocket fired by BM-21 Grad or similar 122 mm multiple-launch rocket systems.

Human Rights Watch's November 2014 memorandum did not determine who launched the Ilovaisk or Luhanskoe attacks. Its 2022 Ukraine incendiary-weapons Q&A later attributed July-August 2014 use of 9M22S Grad rockets in Ilovaisk and Luhansk to Russia-backed separatist forces.

Sources: HRW Incendiary Weapons Recent Use, ARES 9M22S Eastern Ukraine 2014, HRW Ukraine Incendiary Weapons Q&A

Timeline

The earliest specific public documentation in this record comes from late July 2014, when ARES assessed recovered incendiary components in eastern Ukraine as likely 9M22S rocket material. Human Rights Watch then documented a July 25-26 night incident at Luhanskoe and a later Ilovaisk incident reported by residents as occurring after August 14 during intense fighting.

During the full-scale invasion phase of the same catalog conflict, ARES documented 9M22S or 9M28S 122 mm incendiary rocket remnants at Novoiakovlivka on April 19, 2022, and described March 12, 2022 Popasna footage as visually consistent with 9M22S rockets. The Atlantic Council's DFRLab later assessed May 2022 footage from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol as more likely Russian 9M22S incendiary munitions than white phosphorus.

Sources: ARES 9M22S Eastern Ukraine 2014, HRW Incendiary Weapons Recent Use, ARES 9M22S Ukraine 2022, DFRLab Mariupol Incendiaries

Narrative

The 9M22S is a Soviet 122 mm incendiary rocket for BM-21 Grad-family launchers. Instead of the standard high-explosive fragmentation payload, it carries the 9N510 warhead with 180 magnesium-alloy incendiary elements. ARES described the rocket as designed to start fires in vegetation, ammunition or fuel storage sites, and other flammable targets.

In the Russia-Ukraine War, the munition's documented role was ground-launched incendiary area fire. The 2014 evidence centered on Donbas field documentation: residents reported falling material resembling fireworks, homes burned, and investigators found 9M22S rocket and capsule remnants. The 2022 evidence expanded the record to photographed remnants, night-functioning visual signatures, and geolocated Mariupol footage assessed by DFRLab as likely Russian 9M22S use.

The record is strongest for the munition's presence and use, while operator attribution varies by source and date. HRW's initial 2014 memorandum left the Ilovaisk and Luhanskoe launchers unidentified; later HRW writing attributed 2014 9M22S Grad use to Russia-backed separatist forces, and DFRLab's 2022 Mariupol assessment placed likely 9M22S use in the context of Russian attacks on Ukrainian forces at Azovstal.

Sources: ARES 9M22S Eastern Ukraine 2014, HRW Incendiary Weapons Recent Use, HRW Ukraine Incendiary Weapons Q&A, ARES 9M22S Ukraine 2022, DFRLab Mariupol Incendiaries

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