2014 Russia-Ukraine War

2S40 Floks in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

Russian forces fielded the 2S40 Floks in Ukraine from October 2023, with open reporting documenting Ukrainian drone strikes against systems in the Kherson region and near Bakhmut.

Weapon profile2S40 Floks
SideRussiaRoleFire Support
2S40 Floks, 120 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer/mortar, Artillery - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: File:2S40 Flox.jpg

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Russian forces received or fielded the Floks after October 2023 delivery reporting

Sources: Rostec Floks Deliveries, Defense Express Kherson Floks Strike, Army Recognition Bakhmut Phlox Strike

A Russian Floks was reported hit by a Ukrainian drone in the Kherson region on October 6, 2023

Sources: LIGA Floks First Engagement, Defense Express Kherson Floks Strike

A Russian Floks was reported destroyed by the Signum unit near Bakhmut in March 2024

Sources: Defense Express Bakhmut Floks Strike, Army Recognition Bakhmut Phlox Strike, Newsweek Bakhmut Floks Report

The documented role was wheeled 120 mm gun-mortar fire support for Russian artillery units

Sources: Rostec Floks Deliveries, LIGA Floks First Engagement, Defense Express Kherson Floks Strike

Timeline

2S40 Floks In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. Rostec announces Floks transfers to Russian troops

    Rostec said it had begun transferring a batch of 120 mm Floks self-propelled artillery guns to Russian troops.

    Sources: Rostec Floks Deliveries

  2. Kherson-region drone strike reported

    LIGA.net and Defense Express reported a Ukrainian drone strike against a Russian Floks, with Defense Express placing the footage in the Kherson region and noting that the damage outcome was unconfirmed.

    Sources: LIGA Floks First Engagement, Defense Express Kherson Floks Strike

  3. Bakhmut-area destruction claim reported

    Army Recognition and later Defense Express reported that Ukraine's Signum strike-drone unit used an FPV drone against a Russian Floks near Bakhmut.

    Sources: Army Recognition Bakhmut Phlox Strike, Defense Express Bakhmut Floks Strike, Newsweek Bakhmut Floks Report

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The 2S40 Floks is tied to Russian use in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through two clusters of direct public reporting. On October 6, 2023, LIGA.net reported that Ukrainian defense forces hit a Russian Floks for the first time after Russian delivery announcements, identifying the Ukrainian reconnaissance group Ocean's Twelve as the unit reported to have struck the system with a drone. Defense Express reported the same episode as a claimed Ukrainian drone attack on a 2S40 Floks in the Kherson region, while noting that the strike's damage consequences were not confirmed.

A second public episode followed near Bakhmut in March 2024. Defense Express reported on March 30 that the Signum unit of Ukraine's 93rd Mechanized Brigade spotted a Russian Floks during aerial reconnaissance and used an FPV drone to destroy it. Army Recognition described the same action near Bakhmut, stating that the Phlox 2S40 had been deployed on the Ukrainian front as early as October 2023. Newsweek also reported the Bakhmut claim while stating that it could not independently verify when or where the footage was filmed.

Sources: LIGA Floks First Engagement, Defense Express Kherson Floks Strike, Defense Express Bakhmut Floks Strike, Army Recognition Bakhmut Phlox Strike, Newsweek Bakhmut Floks Report

Documented timeline

Rostec announced on October 5, 2023 that it had begun transferring a batch of 120 mm Floks self-propelled artillery guns to Russian troops. The following day, Ukrainian and Ukrainian defense media reported the first known Ukrainian strike against a Floks, placing the episode in the Kherson region and preserving the caveat that the final damage state was unknown.

On March 29 and 30, 2024, Army Recognition and Defense Express reported a Bakhmut-area FPV-drone strike against another Russian Floks. Those accounts attributed the action to the Signum strike-drone unit associated with Ukraine's 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, and described the target as a Russian 120 mm self-propelled mortar or gun-mortar system.

Sources: Rostec Floks Deliveries, LIGA Floks First Engagement, Defense Express Kherson Floks Strike, Defense Express Bakhmut Floks Strike, Army Recognition Bakhmut Phlox Strike

Battlefield role and evidence

The documented battlefield role is Russian fire support from a wheeled 120 mm gun-mortar platform. Rostec presented the system as a vehicle for artillery batteries, able to fire both mortar ammunition and artillery projectiles from a protected Ural-4320 chassis. LIGA.net's reference section described the Floks as intended to support ground-force formations against personnel, artillery and mortar batteries, rocket launchers, armored targets, fire means, and command points.

The available conflict-use record does not publicly establish a large number of Floks systems in Ukraine. Instead, it shows a newly delivered Russian artillery type appearing in battlefield video-reporting soon after the October 2023 delivery announcement, then appearing again in a March 2024 Bakhmut-area strike report. In both cases, the direct public evidence comes from Ukrainian-linked strike footage reported by defense and news outlets rather than from a Russian operational statement describing combat employment.

Sources: Rostec Floks Deliveries, LIGA Floks First Engagement, Defense Express Kherson Floks Strike, Defense Express Bakhmut Floks Strike, Army Recognition Bakhmut Phlox Strike, Newsweek Bakhmut Floks Report

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Sources