Direct proof of use
The clearest public evidence for the 2S31 Vena in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War comes from September and October 2023 reporting tied to Russian state media. Popular Mechanics identified a Rossiya 1 television image as a 2S31 Vena recorded near Bakhmut in 2023 and reported that the Russian segment said Vena vehicles had been embedded in an artillery battalion and combat-tested by airborne units in the Bakhmut area.
Russian and Ukrainian defense reporting described the same appearance as a rare Russian 120 mm self-propelled gun-mortar entering the Ukraine battlefield. Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported on October 25, 2023 that the 2S31 Vena had undergone combat testing in the Russian war zone, while Defense Express wrote that open-source footage showed Russian forces beginning to use 2S31 Vena systems against Ukrainian forces in September 2023.
Sources: Popular Mechanics Ukraine Debut, Russian Gazette Vena Combat Test, Defense Express Vena Ukraine Appearance
Timeline
The documented Ukraine appearance begins in September 2023. Defense Express reported that footage in open sources showed Russian forces using the 2S31 Vena in fighting against Ukrainian forces, and described the episode as the first recorded use of the rare Vena system in the war against Ukraine.
By November 1, 2023, Popular Mechanics had published a detailed English-language account of the same appearance, placing the Rossiya 1 footage near Bakhmut and summarizing the Russian claim that airborne artillery units were actively combat-testing the type.
Sources: Defense Express Vena Ukraine Appearance, Popular Mechanics Ukraine Debut
Role and battlefield context
The Vena appeared in Ukraine as a scarce Russian fire-support vehicle rather than a common artillery system. The 2S31 mounts a 120 mm rifled gun-mortar on a BMP-3-derived tracked chassis, allowing indirect fire with high-angle mortar trajectories and lower-angle direct fire from the same turreted vehicle. Rosoboronexport describes the system as capable of firing from covered positions and by direct fire without prior preparation of a firing position.
The Bakhmut-area reports placed that capability in an artillery battalion context. Popular Mechanics connected the appearance to Russia's broader 2023 need for additional artillery and mortar capacity, while Defense Express noted that the Russian fleet appeared to be very small and may have come from training-unit stocks rather than a large fielded inventory.
Sources: Rosoboronexport 2S31 Vena, Popular Mechanics Ukraine Debut, Defense Express Vena Ukraine Appearance
