2014 Russia-Ukraine War

Brimstone in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

UK-supplied Brimstone missiles were fielded by Ukraine as ground-launched anti-armor precision weapons, with documented use from 2022 and more than 1,300 delivered by February 2024.

Weapon profileBrimstone
SideUkraineRoleAnti-ArmorFire SupportTraining & Foreign Aid
Brimstone, Anti-tank guided missile, Munitions - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: File:MBDA Brimstone (45372527695).jpg

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
The United Kingdom provided Brimstone missiles to Ukraine for use as a longer-range ground attack missile.

Sources: Hansard Ukraine Update

Ukrainian forces operated UK-supplied Brimstone missiles in battlefield footage reported in May 2022.

Sources: Forces News Tank Footage

Ukraine used ground-launched Brimstone from adapted or modified vehicles rather than from RAF aircraft.

Sources: Forces News 600 Brimstone, Army Recognition Launcher Vehicle

By February 2024, the UK said it had supplied more than 1,300 Brimstone anti-tank missiles and that they had seen significant battlefield use.

Sources: UK Artillery Reserves Package

Timeline

Brimstone In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. UK confirms Brimstone transfer

    A UK defence minister told the House of Lords that the UK would provide Ukraine with Brimstone missiles after adapting the system for Ukraine's requested longer-range ground-attack role.

    Sources: Hansard Ukraine Update

  2. Ground launcher reported

    Army Recognition reported imagery of a Brimstone launcher mounted on a 4x4 civilian truck and said Ukrainian Brimstone use had been reported in the Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions.

    Sources: Army Recognition Launcher Vehicle

  3. Ukrainian footage reported

    Forces News reported that Ukrainian military footage appeared to show UK-supplied Brimstone missiles operated by Ukrainians against two Russian vehicles described as tanks.

    Sources: Forces News Tank Footage

  4. Additional 600 missiles announced

    Forces News reported Defence Secretary Ben Wallace's announcement that the UK would send another 600 Brimstone missiles to Ukraine.

    Sources: Forces News 600 Brimstone

  5. UK says more than 1,300 delivered

    The UK Ministry of Defence said a further 200 Brimstone anti-tank missiles brought the total provided to Ukraine to more than 1,300 and cited significant battlefield use.

    Sources: UK Artillery Reserves Package

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The United Kingdom confirmed in April 2022 that it would provide Brimstone missiles to Ukraine after Ukrainian requests for a longer-range ground attack missile and after UK technical staff adapted existing stocks for that purpose.

Forces News reported on 18 May 2022 that footage released by the Ukrainian military appeared to show UK-supplied Brimstone missiles operated by Ukrainians against two Russian military vehicles described as tanks. The report treated the footage as claimed battlefield evidence rather than independent battle-damage assessment.

By February 2024, the UK Ministry of Defence said an additional 200 Brimstone anti-tank missiles were being delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, bringing the total provided to more than 1,300. The same statement said Brimstone missiles had seen significant battlefield use, including an instance in which they helped force a Russian formation to withdraw from an attempted river crossing.

Sources: Hansard Ukraine Update, Forces News Tank Footage, UK Artillery Reserves Package

Ground-launched adaptation

Brimstone was originally associated with British air-launched use, but Ukraine's wartime employment centered on improvised or adapted ground launch. In April 2022, UK ministers described the system as being adapted for Ukrainian needs, and Forces News later reported that the missiles had been in Ukraine since May 2022 and were fired from modified trucks.

Army Recognition reported in May 2022 that imagery and video showed a container launcher mounted on a 4x4 civilian truck and that Brimstone use by Ukrainian armed forces had been reported in the Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions. That reporting provides launch-platform and regional context, but the core use claim is better supported by the later official UK and BFBS/Forces News accounts.

Sources: Hansard Ukraine Update, Forces News 600 Brimstone, Army Recognition Launcher Vehicle

Role in Ukrainian service

In Ukrainian service, Brimstone appears in the conflict record as a UK-supplied precision anti-armor weapon rather than as its usual RAF aircraft-launched missile. Public reporting describes Ukrainian launches from modified ground vehicles, while UK government statements frame the missiles as anti-tank weapons supplied directly to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The best-supported battlefield functions are anti-armor fires and local interdiction of Russian ground movement. The clearest official example is the UK Ministry of Defence's February 2024 account that Brimstone helped force a Russian formation away from a river-crossing attempt; the clearest early media example is the May 2022 Ukrainian military footage, reported by Forces News, that appeared to show Brimstone strikes on two Russian vehicles.

Sources: UK Artillery Reserves Package, Forces News Tank Footage, Forces News 600 Brimstone

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Sources