Direct proof of use
The direct public record for 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War is a transfer record rather than a battlefield-remnant record. On May 25, 2023, Canada's Department of National Defence said that machine guns, assault rifles, cleaning kits, and magazines from an April small-arms package had already been delivered to Ukraine, and that 1 million rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition and 4,800 assault rifles were scheduled for delivery in the following weeks.
Canada's consolidated military-support tracker lists the April 11, 2023 small-arms-and-ammunition package as delivered. The same tracker describes the package as sourced from Colt Canada and says it included 21,000 5.56 mm assault rifles, 38 7.62 mm machine guns, and more than 2.4 million rounds of ammunition to support those weapons and small arms already used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Sources: Canada May 2023 Ukraine military aid, Canada Military Support Tracker
Timeline
Canada first announced the relevant 2023 package on April 11, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada would provide Ukraine with additional military aid sourced from Colt Canada. The listed package included 21,000 5.56 mm assault rifles and more than 2.4 million rounds of ammunition for those weapons and other small arms already in Ukrainian service.
By May 25, 2023, Canada reported partial delivery progress and identified a specific 5.56 mm ammunition tranche: 1 million rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition, paired with 4,800 assault rifles, was scheduled to arrive in the following weeks. Canada's current support tracker marks the April 2023 small-arms-and-ammunition donation as delivered.
Sources: Prime Minister April 2023 Ukraine Support, Canada May 2023 Ukraine military aid, Canada Military Support Tracker
Narrative
In this conflict record, the cartridge appears as part of Ukraine's externally supplied small-arms sustainment rather than as a separately attributed strike or firing incident. The Canadian sources place 5.56 mm ammunition alongside 5.56 mm assault rifles and other small arms for the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the full-scale phase of the war.
The sources do not identify the exact cartridge load, lot, or battlefield unit using the ammunition. They do, however, directly establish that Canada supplied or scheduled delivery of 5.56 mm ammunition to Ukraine in 2023, making the cartridge family part of the documented NATO-standard small-arms ammunition flow supporting Ukrainian forces.
Sources: Prime Minister April 2023 Ukraine Support, Canada May 2023 Ukraine military aid, Canada Military Support Tracker
