Direct proof of use
The 9A331 Tor-M1 TLAR is directly documented in Russian service during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through visually confirmed loss records. Oryx's Russian equipment-loss list separates the 9A331 TLAR for the 9K331 Tor-M1 from the earlier 9A330 Tor, the later 9A331M Tor-M2, Tor-M2DT, and Tor-M1-2U vehicles, and records destroyed, damaged, abandoned-and-destroyed, and captured Russian 9A331 examples.
WarSpotting provides a dated visual-loss entry for a Russian 9A331 TLAR in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on 20 March 2026, recorded as damaged and linked to loitering-munition evidence. Ukrainian and independent reporting also described Russian Tor-M1 systems struck or destroyed in Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and occupied Donetsk during 2026.
Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, WarSpotting 43583, Ukrinform Tor-M1 Strike January 2026, Ukrainska Pravda Kamianka Tor-M1, Kyiv Post Zaporizhzhia Tor-M1 Strikes, Euromaidan Press Donetsk Tor-M1
Timeline
In 2022, Ukrainian and open-source reporting already tied Russian Tor-M1 systems to battlefield losses and captures. Defense Express reported on 10 September 2022 that Ukrainian troops captured a Russian Tor-M1 surface-to-air missile system near Balakliia during the Kharkiv offensive, citing video from the area and Oryx's conservative count of captured Tor-M1 systems.
The public record becomes more granular in 2026. On 31 January 2026, Ukrinform reported a Ukrainian General Staff statement that Ukrainian Defense Forces struck a Russian Tor-M1 surface-to-air missile system and other military targets; Ukrainska Pravda separately reported the destruction of a Tor-M1 near Kamianka in Luhansk Oblast overnight on 30-31 January. On 20 February 2026, Kyiv Post reported Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces claims that three Russian Tor-M1 systems were destroyed in occupied Zaporizhzhia. WarSpotting then logged a damaged Russian 9A331 TLAR in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on 20 March 2026, and Euromaidan Press reported a 9 April 2026 Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces claim that a Russian Tor-M1 was destroyed in occupied Donetsk Oblast.
Sources: Defense Express Kharkiv Tor-M1 Capture, Ukrinform Tor-M1 Strike January 2026, Ukrainska Pravda Kamianka Tor-M1, Kyiv Post Zaporizhzhia Tor-M1 Strikes, WarSpotting 43583, Euromaidan Press Donetsk Tor-M1
Battlefield role
The documented conflict role of the 9A331 Tor-M1 is short-range air defense for Russian forces. CSIS describes the Tor family as a mobile ground-based surface-to-air missile system intended for short-range air-defense missions, while the 9A331 weapon record identifies the Tor-M1 TLAR as a self-contained tracked combat vehicle with surveillance radar, engagement radar, and ready-to-fire missiles.
The Ukraine-specific sources show the system appearing as a protected asset and target in the air-defense layer rather than as a strike weapon. Kyiv Post quoted Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert Brovdi describing the February 2026 Zaporizhzhia operation as a strike on near-echelon Russian air defense, while Euromaidan Press reported that the Tor-M1 was used to shield Russian frontline positions and high-value assets from aircraft, drones, and precision-guided munitions.
Sources: CSIS Tor Missile Threat, Kyiv Post Zaporizhzhia Tor-M1 Strikes, Euromaidan Press Donetsk Tor-M1
Vehicle identification
Identification matters because public sources often use Tor, Tor-M1, and Tor-M2 loosely. The usage record here is limited to 9A331 TLARs for the 9K331 Tor-M1 branch. Oryx and WarSpotting both distinguish 9A331 Tor-M1 vehicles from 9A331M Tor-M2 vehicles, which are cataloged separately in this site as Tor-M2.
That boundary means general Tor-family reporting is not treated as proof of 9A331 Tor-M1 use unless the source names Tor-M1 or identifies the 9A331 / 9K331 vehicle. Reports that only mention an unspecified Tor system are useful context but do not expand this record's direct evidence.
Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, WarSpotting 43583
