Direct proof of use
The 9K25 Krasnopol family is documented in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War from the Donbas phase through the full-scale invasion. DFRLab reported in May 2019 that Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine had used 2K25 Krasnopol laser-guided artillery shells from at least spring 2018, citing open-source imagery, Ukrainian military reporting, and fragment comparisons tied to strikes in Ukrainian-held territory.
Russian state reporting later described direct Russian use during the full-scale invasion. On March 24, 2022, TASS reported a Russian Defense Ministry claim that Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian S-300 air-defense system with a Krasnopol smart artillery shell guided by a laser-equipped drone; the same report said the ministry had also released video of a Ukrainian field command center in Kyiv region being hit by a guided Krasnopol shell.
Sources: DFRLab: Krasnopol Shells in Ukraine, TASS: Krasnopol Strike on Ukrainian S-300
Timeline
Public reporting places early documented Krasnopol use in the Donbas fighting before the 2022 escalation, then shows continued Russian use after the full-scale invasion. DFRLab identified June 2018 imagery of fragments from a Krasnopol rear wing section as the first physical evidence it assessed in Ukraine, followed by a February 14, 2019 Joint Forces Operation report of a Krasnopol strike on a civilian household in Novoluhanske, Donetsk Oblast.
After February 2022, reporting shifted from fragment evidence and separatist use to Russian military claims and industrial updates. TASS reported the March 2022 S-300 strike claim, U.S. Army operational-environment analysis in 2024 described Orlan-30 UAVs in Ukraine as laser target designators for Krasnopol artillery rounds, and 2025-2026 reporting described Krasnopol-M2 deliveries and use by Russian forces in Ukraine.
Sources: DFRLab: Krasnopol Shells in Ukraine, TASS: Krasnopol Strike on Ukrainian S-300, U.S. Army OE: Orlan-30 and Krasnopol, Army Recognition: Krasnopol-M2 in Ukraine, TASS: Krasnopol Against Ukrainian Strongholds
Narrative
In the Donbas phase, the strongest public evidence tied Krasnopol to Russian-backed separatist artillery rather than to Ukrainian service. DFRLab reported that Ukrainian military intelligence had claimed a May 2018 Russian delivery of Krasnopol shells and laser designator-rangefinders to a Russian-backed separatist artillery brigade in Donetsk, then assessed fragment imagery from June 2018 and February 2019 as evidence of Krasnopol impacts in Ukrainian-held areas.
During the full-scale invasion, the weapon appears in Russian precision-artillery and counter-battery workflows. The U.S. Army's operational-environment analysis described the Orlan-30's role in Ukraine as reconnaissance and target designation, noting that it can carry laser target designators and designate targets for Krasnopol laser-guided shells fired from 152 mm artillery such as the 2S19 Msta-S.
The later Krasnopol-M2 appears in reporting as a modernized 152 mm round used by Russian forces in Ukraine. Army Recognition reported in January 2025 that Russian forces had deployed ZOF95 Krasnopol-M2 rounds for precision strikes in Ukraine, including use with 2A36 Giatsint-B guns and compatibility with other Russian 152 mm artillery systems. In May 2026, TASS reported a Russian commander's account that Krasnopol guided shells were fired before assaults on Ukrainian reinforced-concrete strongpoints near Novopavlovka in Dnipropetrovsk region.
Ukrainian and defense-industry reporting also describe the munition's continuing production and battlefield integration. UNITED24, citing Ukraine's Defense Intelligence and the War & Sanctions portal, described Krasnopol-M2 as a 152 mm guided high-explosive fragmentation shell used with Msta-S, Akatsiya, Msta-B, and D-20 artillery and targeted by ground or UAV laser designation, including Orlan-30 and Granat-4. Calibre Defence reported in April 2026 that Rostec announced additional Krasnopol-M2 deliveries to Russian forces and described the round as a core component of Russian counter-battery efforts in Ukraine.
Sources: DFRLab: Krasnopol Shells in Ukraine, U.S. Army OE: Orlan-30 and Krasnopol, Army Recognition: Krasnopol-M2 in Ukraine, TASS: Krasnopol Against Ukrainian Strongholds, UNITED24: HUR Krasnopol-M2 Components, Calibre Defence: Krasnopol-M2 Delivery
