2014 Russia-Ukraine War

AK-74M in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

The AK-74M appears in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War as a Russian 5.45 mm infantry rifle documented in recovered-materiel reporting and later Russian regular-unit service.

Weapon profileAK-74M
SideRussiaRoleFrontline AssaultDefensive Holding
AK-74M, 5.45 mm assault rifle, Infantry Weapons - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: AK-74M with GP-25.jpg

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
An AK-74M was documented in CAR's recovered-materiel study of weapons from armed formations operating in parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Sources: Weapons of the War in Ukraine

The documented AK-74M was a 5.45 x 39 mm Izhmash rifle manufactured in 1993 and recorded by CAR in Rivne on 6 May 2019.

Sources: Weapons of the War in Ukraine

Russian regular combat units in Ukraine were reported by the UK Ministry of Defence to be mostly armed with 5.45 mm AK-74M or AK-12 rifles in October 2022.

Sources: Ukraine war: Thousands of newly mobilised Russian soldiers armed with 'barely usable weapons'

The AK-74M served in the conflict as a Russian infantry rifle rather than as a separately documented transfer package.

Sources: Weapons of the War in Ukraine, Ukraine war: Thousands of newly mobilised Russian soldiers armed with 'barely usable weapons'

Timeline

AK-74M In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. CAR documents an AK-74M in Ukraine

    Conflict Armament Research documented one 5.45 x 39 mm AK-74M assault rifle in Rivne during its investigation of weapons recovered from armed formations operating in parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

    Sources: Weapons of the War in Ukraine

  2. UK assessment identifies AK-74M in Russian regular units

    Sky News reported a UK Ministry of Defence intelligence update stating that Russian regular combat units in Ukraine were mostly armed with 5.45 mm AK-74M or AK-12 rifles.

    Sources: Ukraine war: Thousands of newly mobilised Russian soldiers armed with 'barely usable weapons'

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

Conflict Armament Research documented a 5.45 x 39 mm AK-74M assault rifle while studying weapons recovered from armed formations operating in parts of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The report states that CAR documented the rifle in Rivne on 6 May 2019, identifies it as an Izhmash-produced 1993 AK-74M, and notes that Ukrainian authorities reported it had not been in Ukrainian Armed Forces service, was not recorded as stolen, lost, or written off, and was not transferred to other Ukrainian military units.

The full-scale phase added public reporting on Russian regular-unit fielding. Sky News, quoting a UK Ministry of Defence intelligence update from 31 October 2022, reported that Russian regular combat units in Ukraine were mostly armed with 5.45 mm AK-74M or AK-12 rifles, contrasting those weapons with older AKM rifles seen among mobilized reservists.

Sources: Weapons of the War in Ukraine, Ukraine war: Thousands of newly mobilised Russian soldiers armed with 'barely usable weapons'

Timeline

CAR's report anchors the pre-2022 evidence. Its fieldwork covered materiel recovered between 2014 and 2019 from armed formations or individuals allegedly connected to them in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and it documented the AK-74M example on 6 May 2019.

The 31 October 2022 UK assessment places the AK-74M in the regular Russian infantry mix after Russia's full-scale invasion and partial mobilization. That source does not separate the AK-74M from the newer AK-12 by unit or incident, but it directly identifies the AK-74M as one of the 5.45 mm rifles mostly arming Russian regular combat units in Ukraine.

Sources: Weapons of the War in Ukraine, Ukraine war: Thousands of newly mobilised Russian soldiers armed with 'barely usable weapons'

Narrative

Within the 2014-2021 Donbas evidence set, the AK-74M appears as a single documented rifle rather than as a quantified fleet. CAR's wider sample found that 5.45 x 39 mm weapons and ammunition were the dominant small-caliber category in the materiel it examined, and the AK-74M entry sits alongside AK-74, AKS-74, and AK-74N rifles in the same recovered-materiel study.

The 2022 regular-unit evidence describes the AK-74M as part of Russia's frontline rifle inventory. The UK assessment used the AK-74M and AK-12 as the 5.45 mm contrast to older 7.62 mm AKM rifles issued to many mobilized reservists, making the AK-74M relevant both as an infantry weapon and as a logistics marker in mixed Russian formations.

Sources: Weapons of the War in Ukraine, Ukraine war: Thousands of newly mobilised Russian soldiers armed with 'barely usable weapons'

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Sources