Direct proof of use
Russian and Ukrainian sources both connect the AGS-40 Balkan to the war, but in different ways. RIA Novosti reported in August 2023 that Rosoboronexport chief Alexander Mikheev named the newest 40 mm automatic grenade launcher 6G27 Balkan among Russian weapons whose high battlefield effectiveness helped them take leading positions in export-market segments after use in the Ukraine operation.
A separate Ukrainian account gives a concrete captured-weapon episode. In an interview about the defense of Kyiv Oblast, a National Guard Omega special-unit officer said the unit had an AGS-40 Balkan, captured it not far from Irpin from a Russian airborne company, and used it until the launcher was later lost.
Sources: RIA Novosti Rosoboronexport SVO Weapons, Omega Kyiv Defense Interview
Timeline
The most specific dated combat context comes from the Kyiv-axis fighting in early 2022. The Omega interview was published after the battle but describes a captured Balkan taken near Irpin from Russian VDV troops during the defense of Kyiv Oblast.
Later Russian-source statements moved the evidence from individual battlefield recollection to official export framing. In August 2023, RIA Novosti attributed a direct battlefield-effectiveness claim to Rosoboronexport, and in June 2024 Rostec republished Mikheev's broader statement that Russian products had gained demand after use in the special military operation, again naming the 6G27 Balkan among systems with high battlefield effectiveness.
Sources: Omega Kyiv Defense Interview, RIA Novosti Rosoboronexport SVO Weapons, Rostec Rosoboronexport Battlefield Demand
Narrative
The Balkan evidence points to a limited but direct infantry fire-support role rather than a broad, well-documented fleet history. TASS reported that the first serial Balkan batch was produced in January 2022 and that the launcher was still undergoing expanded troop operational evaluation, which makes the later Ukraine-specific references important for tying the system to actual wartime fielding.
The Russian-source evidence identifies the Balkan as a weapon whose performance in the Ukraine operation was cited by Rosoboronexport for foreign demand. The Ukrainian Omega account adds that at least one launcher moved from Russian airborne possession into Ukrainian hands around the Irpin fighting and was then used by the Ukrainian unit until lost.
Together, the sources support listing both Russia and Ukraine for this conflict: Russia as the original fielding side documented by Rosoboronexport-linked reporting, and Ukraine through captured-equipment use described by the Omega fighter interview.
Sources: TASS First Serial Balkan Batch, RIA Novosti Rosoboronexport SVO Weapons, Rostec Rosoboronexport Battlefield Demand, Omega Kyiv Defense Interview
