2014 Russia-Ukraine War

Bofors 40 mm L/70 in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

Lithuania supplied Bofors L70 anti-aircraft guns and ammunition to Ukraine in 2023, and Ukrainian National Guard reporting later documented their use against Russian Shahed drones.

Weapon profileBofors 40 mm L/70
SideUkraineRoleAir DefenseTraining & Foreign Aid
Bofors 40 mm L/70, 40 mm towed anti-aircraft autocannon, Air Defense - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: Bofors 40 mm L70 Anti Aircraft Gun Commons

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Lithuania announced Bofors L70 anti-aircraft guns and ammunition for Ukraine in January 2023.

Sources: Lithuania to Send Anti-Aircraft Guns

Lithuania sent L-70 guns with ammunition and trained Ukrainian instructors on the weapons.

Sources: Ukrinform Lithuania Hands L-70 Guns

Lithuania's official aid summary listed 36 L-70 anti-aircraft guns provided to Ukraine.

Sources: Lithuanian MoD Annual Ukraine Contribution

Ukrainian National Guard personnel used Lithuanian-supplied Swedish-made Bofors L70 guns against Shahed drones.

Sources: Defense Express Bofors L70 Shahed, Mezha Kharkiv Unit Bofors L70

Timeline

Bofors 40 mm L/70 In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. Lithuania announces Bofors L70 guns for Ukraine

    LRT/BNS reported that Lithuania would hand Bofors L70 anti-aircraft guns and ammunition to Ukraine.

    Sources: Lithuania to Send Anti-Aircraft Guns

  2. Delivery and instructor training reported

    Ukrinform reported that Lithuania sent dozens of L-70 anti-aircraft guns with ammunition and trained Ukrainian instructors in handling the weapons.

    Sources: Ukrinform Lithuania Hands L-70 Guns

  3. Lithuanian MoD lists 36 L-70 guns in aid package

    Lithuania's Ministry of National Defence stated that the latest assistance package had provided Ukraine with 36 L-70 anti-aircraft guns.

    Sources: Lithuanian MoD Annual Ukraine Contribution

  4. National Guard Bofors L70 counter-drone use reported

    Defense Express reported that Ukraine's 5th Separate Slobozhansk Brigade used Lithuanian-supplied Swedish-made Bofors L70 guns against Shahed drones.

    Sources: Defense Express Bofors L70 Shahed

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The Bofors 40 mm L/70 appears in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War record as a Lithuanian-supplied Ukrainian short-range air-defense gun. LRT/BNS reported on January 11, 2023, that Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda announced Bofors L70 anti-aircraft guns and ammunition for Ukraine, and Lithuania's Ministry of National Defence later listed 36 L-70 anti-aircraft guns among the latest assistance package provided to Ukraine.

Public combat-use evidence followed in Ukrainian air-defense reporting. Defense Express reported that the 5th Separate Slobozhansk Brigade of Ukraine's National Guard used Swedish-made 40 mm Bofors L70 guns supplied by Lithuania against Shahed drones. A separate Ukrainian report on the same National Guard material described a mobile fire group in Kharkiv region demonstrating Bofors L70 use against Russian drones.

Sources: Lithuania to Send Anti-Aircraft Guns, Lithuanian MoD Annual Ukraine Contribution, Ukrinform Lithuania Hands L-70 Guns, Defense Express Bofors L70 Shahed, Mezha Kharkiv Unit Bofors L70

Timeline

Lithuania's public transfer trail began in January 2023, when Nauseda announced that Bofors L70 guns and ammunition would be handed over to Ukraine. In February 2023, Ukrinform reported that Lithuania had sent dozens of L-70 anti-aircraft guns with ammunition and had trained Ukrainian instructors to handle the weapons.

By February 24, 2023, Lithuania's Ministry of National Defence summarized its first year of full-scale-war aid and listed 36 L-70 anti-aircraft guns in the latest assistance package. Later Ukrainian reporting placed the guns with National Guard mobile air-defense personnel using them in the counter-Shahed role in Kharkiv-region coverage.

Sources: Lithuania to Send Anti-Aircraft Guns, Ukrinform Lithuania Hands L-70 Guns, Lithuanian MoD Annual Ukraine Contribution, Defense Express Bofors L70 Shahed, Mezha Kharkiv Unit Bofors L70

Operational role

In Ukrainian service, the L/70 is documented as a gun-based short-range air-defense layer rather than a long-range missile system. The transfer reports identify the equipment as anti-aircraft guns with ammunition, while later National Guard coverage links the system to mobile fire groups and defense against Shahed-type one-way attack drones.

The strongest public record supports four claims: Lithuania supplied the guns and ammunition; Ukrainian instructors were trained on the system; the transfer package included 36 L-70 guns; and Ukrainian National Guard personnel later used Lithuanian-supplied Swedish-made Bofors L70 guns against Shahed drones. Public sources do not provide a complete inventory of every deployed gun or a full engagement history.

Sources: Lithuania to Send Anti-Aircraft Guns, Lithuanian MoD Annual Ukraine Contribution, Ukrinform Lithuania Hands L-70 Guns, Defense Express Bofors L70 Shahed, Mezha Kharkiv Unit Bofors L70

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Sources