Direct proof of use
ARES reported in July 2014 that remnants near Kramatorsk indicated likely use of 9M55K Smerch cargo rockets carrying 9N235 fragmentation submunitions. The same analysis noted that both Ukrainian and Russian forces operated Smerch systems and assessed Ukrainian use against pro-Russian separatists as the most likely explanation while leaving attribution unresolved.
Human Rights Watch later identified use of Smerch and Uragan cluster rockets in Donetsk and Luhansk during the 2014-2015 phase, including rockets that delivered 9N235 or the closely related 9N210/9N235 fragmentation submunition family. In 2022, ARES documented 9N235-marked submunitions that it attributed to Russian forces in Ukraine, while Human Rights Watch documented Russian and Ukrainian cluster-munition use that included 9N210 or 9N235 remnants.
Sources: ARES 9M55K and 9N235 in Ukraine, HRW Ukraine 2015 Technical Briefing, ARES Russian 9N235 in Ukraine 2022, HRW Ukraine Cluster Harm 2022, HRW Izium Cluster Munition Deaths
Timeline
The first open-source evidence surfaced in July 2014 around Kramatorsk, where ARES identified 9M55K cargo-rocket remnants and unexploded 9N235 submunitions. Human Rights Watch's 2015 technical briefing then placed Smerch and Uragan cluster-rocket use across Donetsk and Luhansk between July 2014 and the February 2015 ceasefire.
After Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, the evidence base expanded. Bellingcat cataloged civilian-documented Smerch and Uragan cluster rockets with 9N210 or 9N235 submunitions across Ukraine in March 2022, ARES identified 2019-manufactured 9N235-marked submunitions used by Russian forces, and Human Rights Watch later documented Ukrainian cluster-rocket attacks around Russian-controlled Izium where residents and investigators found 9N210 or 9N235 remnants.
Sources: ARES 9M55K and 9N235 in Ukraine, HRW Ukraine 2015 Technical Briefing, Bellingcat Ukraine Cluster Munitions, ARES Russian 9N235 in Ukraine 2022, HRW Izium Cluster Munition Deaths
Narrative
In Ukraine, the 9N235 appears as the payload of surface-fired cargo rockets rather than as a standalone munition. The principal documented carriers are 300 mm 9M55K Smerch rockets, which carry 72 9N235 submunitions, and 220 mm Uragan-family cargo rockets that can carry 9N210 or 9N235 submunitions. Human Rights Watch's 2015 technical briefing described these rockets as ground-launched cluster munitions used in eastern Ukraine and identified a dozen locations in Donetsk and Luhansk where related cluster munitions and submunitions had appeared.
Attribution varies by incident. ARES treated the July 2014 Kramatorsk evidence as likely Ukrainian fire but did not make a definitive attribution. Human Rights Watch concluded that both Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists used cluster munitions in eastern Ukraine in 2014-2015. In the post-February 2022 phase, ARES described 9N235-marked submunitions employed by Russian forces, while Human Rights Watch documented Russian cluster-munition attacks and separate Ukrainian attacks around Izium involving 9N210 or 9N235 remnants.
The public evidence often groups 9N210 and 9N235 because the submunitions are externally similar unless markings or close examination are available. For that reason, this record treats marked 9N235 finds as direct 9N235 evidence and treats 9N210/9N235 reports as evidence for the documented submunition family carried by the same Smerch and Uragan cargo rockets.
Sources: ARES 9M55K and 9N235 in Ukraine, HRW Ukraine 2015 Technical Briefing, Bellingcat Ukraine Cluster Munitions, ARES Russian 9N235 in Ukraine 2022, HRW Ukraine Cluster Harm 2022, HRW Izium Cluster Munition Deaths
