Direct proof of use
The 2S9 Nona appears in the Syrian Civil War record through Russian delivery to Syrian government forces. Oryx reported on June 15, 2017 that imagery from Syria showed BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles and 120 mm 2S9 self-propelled mortars recently sent into the country aboard Russia's Syria Express supply route.
The same report described the delivery as part of Russia's training and equipping role for the rebuilt Syrian Arab Army and noted that the 2S9 had not previously been in Syrian Arab Army service. A later Oryx review of Russian equipment deliveries to Syria again referred to at least one 2S9 delivered to the Syrian Arab Army since early 2017.
Sources: Oryx Syria Rearms Russian Deliveries, Oryx Rearming Syria 2020
Timeline
The public timeline is limited but clear. By June 2017, Oryx treated the 2S9 delivery as a new Russian-supplied capability for Syrian government forces, distinct from Syria's older stock of towed artillery, 2S1 self-propelled howitzers, and BM-21 rocket launchers.
In February 2020, Oryx placed that 2S9 delivery in the wider sequence of Russian armor and artillery replenishment for the Syrian Arab Army, alongside T-62s, BMP-1s, BMP-2s, and other systems supplied through the same wartime support channel.
Sources: Oryx Syria Rearms Russian Deliveries, Oryx Rearming Syria 2020
Battlefield role
In Syrian government service, the documented 2S9 role was mobile mortar and artillery fire support. Oryx identified the vehicle as a 120 mm self-propelled mortar and assessed its high-angle fire as relevant to pro-government operations against entrenched Islamic State positions in Eastern Homs, especially on mountains and ridges.
The available open sources support delivery, entry into Syrian Arab Army service, and intended fire-support use. They do not provide a reliable public firing log, a confirmed number of delivered vehicles beyond the later reference to at least one, or a specific incident where a named 2S9 vehicle fired on a dated target.
Sources: Oryx Syria Rearms Russian Deliveries, Oryx Rearming Syria 2020
Russian supply context
The 2S9 delivery sat within a broader Russian effort to re-equip Syrian government forces after years of losses and militia fragmentation. Oryx described Russia as responsible for training and equipping the new force and linked the 2017 delivery to the 5th Corps-centered rearmament program.
That context makes the 2S9 a supplied government-side system rather than a pre-war Syrian fleet item. Oryx specifically noted that the Syrian Arab Army had not operated self-propelled mortars before the delivery, so the conflict-use claim rests on Russian wartime transfer and fielding with Syrian government forces.
Sources: Oryx Syria Rearms Russian Deliveries, Oryx Rearming Syria 2020
