2014 Russia-Ukraine War

2S23 Nona-SVK in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

Russian 2S23 Nona-SVK gun-mortars have been documented in Ukraine through battlefield deployment reporting, firing claims, visually confirmed losses, and captured vehicles later reported in Ukrainian hands.

Weapon profile2S23 Nona-SVK
SideRussiaUkraineRoleFire SupportCaptured Equipment
2S23 Nona-SVK, 120 mm wheeled self-propelled gun-mortar, Artillery - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: File:2S23 Nona-SVK.jpg

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Russian forces fielded 2S23 Nona-SVK vehicles in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, Army Recognition 2S23 Deployment, Russian Gazette Nona-SVK Krasnolimansky Report

Russian 2S23 Nona-SVK vehicles were destroyed or captured in Ukraine.

Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, Tank Encyclopedia 2S23 Ukraine Service, Euromaidan Press 3rd Assault Brigade Report, United24 Donetsk Nona-SVK Strike

Ukrainian forces captured Russian 2S23 Nona-SVK vehicles and were reported to reuse captured examples.

Sources: Tank Encyclopedia 2S23 Ukraine Service, Oryx Russian Equipment Losses

Reported combat roles centered on mobile 120 mm mortar and gun-mortar fire support.

Sources: Army Recognition 2S23 Deployment, Russian Gazette Nona-SVK Krasnolimansky Report, Tank Encyclopedia 2S23 Ukraine Service

Timeline

2S23 Nona-SVK In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. Russian 2S23 captured near Husarivka

    Tank Encyclopedia reports that Ukrainian forces captured a Russian 2S23 Nona-SVK near Husarivka, Kharkiv Oblast, and attributes it to the 55th Separate Guards Mountain Motor Rifle Brigade.

    Sources: Tank Encyclopedia 2S23 Ukraine Service

  2. Captured 2S23 shown in Ukrainian service

    Tank Encyclopedia identifies a 2S23 Nona-SVK shown with Ukrainian forces on September 14, 2022 and links it to a captured vehicle from the Russian 752nd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment.

    Sources: Tank Encyclopedia 2S23 Ukraine Service

  3. Russian deployment video reported

    Army Recognition reported that a Russian Ministry of Defense video released on July 7, 2023 showed a 2S23 Nona-SVK being positioned in the Ukrainian combat zone.

    Sources: Army Recognition 2S23 Deployment

  4. Russian Nona-SVK firing claim

    Russian Gazette, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense, reported that Central Military District Nona-SVK crews fired on the Krasnolimansky direction after receiving coordinates from a UAV crew.

    Sources: Russian Gazette Nona-SVK Krasnolimansky Report

  5. Kharkiv Oblast destruction reported

    Euromaidan Press reported that Ukraine's 3rd Assault Brigade destroyed a Russian 2S23 Nona-SVK in Kharkiv Oblast, citing a brigade social-media video.

    Sources: Euromaidan Press 3rd Assault Brigade Report

  6. Donetsk Oblast FPV-drone strike reported

    United24 reported that Ukrainian drone operators from the 414th Separate Regiment destroyed a Russian 2S23 Nona-SVK in Donetsk Oblast, citing Militarnyi and video shared by Robert Brovdi.

    Sources: United24 Donetsk Nona-SVK Strike

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

Russian 2S23 Nona-SVK vehicles are directly documented in the full-scale phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War by visually confirmed loss records and conflict reporting. Oryx lists Russian 120 mm 2S23 Nona-SVK vehicles among equipment destroyed and captured during the invasion, while Army Recognition reported that a Russian Ministry of Defense video released on July 7, 2023 showed Russian forces positioning a 2S23 Nona-SVK in the Ukrainian combat zone.

Captured-equipment evidence is separate from firing evidence. Oryx records captured Russian 2S23 Nona-SVK vehicles, and Tank Encyclopedia identifies a 55th Separate Guards Mountain Motor Rifle Brigade vehicle captured near Husarivka on March 27, 2022 and another 752nd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment vehicle captured near Izium in September 2022. Tank Encyclopedia also reports that Ukrainian forces deployed an inherited 2S23 and reused captured examples during the war.

Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, Army Recognition 2S23 Deployment, Tank Encyclopedia 2S23 Ukraine Service

Timeline

The earliest widely documented 2022 milestone is the capture of a Russian 2S23 Nona-SVK near Husarivka in Kharkiv Oblast on March 27, 2022. Tank Encyclopedia attributes that vehicle to the Russian 55th Separate Guards Mountain Motor Rifle Brigade and ties the same captured vehicle to later Ukrainian workshop and battlefield appearances.

Russian use remained visible in 2023 and 2024. Army Recognition reported the July 2023 Russian Ministry of Defense deployment video; Russian Gazette, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense, reported Nona-SVK crews firing on the Krasnolimansky direction in October 2023; and Ukrainian and Ukrainian-aligned reporting later documented Russian 2S23 losses to FPV drones in Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts.

Sources: Tank Encyclopedia 2S23 Ukraine Service, Army Recognition 2S23 Deployment, Russian Gazette Nona-SVK Krasnolimansky Report, Euromaidan Press 3rd Assault Brigade Report, United24 Donetsk Nona-SVK Strike

Russian employment and losses

The 2S23 appears in the war as a scarce Russian battalion-level 120 mm self-propelled gun-mortar rather than a mass artillery type. Army Recognition described the system as deployed on the Ukrainian battlefield in July 2023 and summarized its role against personnel, weapon systems, command structures, and armored vehicles in the immediate tactical area. Russian Gazette later attributed to the Russian Ministry of Defense a claim that Central Military District Nona-SVK crews fired a three-gun volley on the Krasnolimansky direction after receiving coordinates from an unmanned-aircraft crew.

Loss reporting shows that Russian 2S23s were exposed to counter-battery fire, capture, and drone strikes. Oryx lists destroyed and captured examples from visually confirmed evidence. Euromaidan Press reported that Ukraine's 3rd Assault Brigade destroyed a Russian 2S23 Nona-SVK in Kharkiv Oblast in August 2024, and United24 reported a November 14, 2024 FPV-drone strike on a Russian 2S23 in Donetsk Oblast, citing video shared by Robert Brovdi.

Sources: Army Recognition 2S23 Deployment, Russian Gazette Nona-SVK Krasnolimansky Report, Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, Euromaidan Press 3rd Assault Brigade Report, United24 Donetsk Nona-SVK Strike

Ukrainian capture and reuse

Ukrainian involvement with the 2S23 is documented through both prewar inheritance and captured Russian vehicles. Tank Encyclopedia reports that at least one 2S23 remained in Ukraine after the Soviet collapse, appeared at Ukrainian facilities before the full-scale invasion, and was later shown in Ukrainian service. It also states that Ukrainian forces reused two captured Russian 2S23s during the war.

The clearest captured examples were linked to the 2022 Kharkiv fighting and the autumn 2022 Russian retreat around Izium and Lyman. These records support Ukrainian possession and reported reuse, while Russian firing reports and destroyed-vehicle records separately support Russian operational use.

Sources: Tank Encyclopedia 2S23 Ukraine Service, Oryx Russian Equipment Losses

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