2014 Russia-Ukraine War

BS-3 in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

The BS-3 has been documented in Ukrainian service during the full-scale phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, primarily with State Border Guard Service units using the 100 mm gun for fire support and direct anti-armor fire.

Weapon profile100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3)
SideUkraineRoleFire SupportAnti-Armor
100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3), Towed 100 mm field and anti-tank gun, Artillery - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: Commons BS-3 Artillery Museum Image

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Ukrainian forces fielded BS-3 guns during the full-scale phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

Sources: Defense Express BS-3 Ukraine Photo, DPSU Steel Border BS-3 BMP

State Border Guard Service Steel Border crews used the BS-3 in combat work.

Sources: DPSU Steel Border BS-3 BMP, Focus Steel Border BS-3 July, Focus BS-3 BMP Hits

The BS-3 was used for direct anti-armor fire against Russian infantry fighting vehicles on the Sumy direction.

Sources: DPSU Steel Border BS-3 BMP, Focus BS-3 BMP Hits

The BS-3 also served as fire-support artillery against Russian positions or fortifications.

Sources: TSN Steel Border Sumy Report, Defense Express BS-3 Ukraine Photo

Open-source loss documentation lists Ukrainian BS-3 guns destroyed and captured during the invasion.

Sources: Oryx Ukrainian Equipment Losses

Timeline

100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3) In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. First official Ukrainian active-service confirmation reported

    Defense Express reported that State Border Guard Service footage from early September 2023 was the first official confirmation of BS-3 guns in active service with Ukrainian forces.

    Sources: Defense Express BS-3 Ukraine Photo

  2. Field-position photo reported

    Defense Express reported a photo of a BS-3 in a prepared field position with a 100 mm shell, assessing it as evidence that the gun was being used in combat against Russian forces.

    Sources: Defense Express BS-3 Ukraine Photo

  3. Steel Border combat-work footage reported

    Focus reported that Ukraine's State Border Guard Service had shown video of Steel Border personnel using a 100 mm BS-3 and visible M63P1 100 mm ammunition.

    Sources: Focus Steel Border BS-3 July

  4. Official video item shows BS-3 fire against BMPs

    The State Border Guard Service published a Steel Border video item describing BS-3 fire against enemy BMPs, later reported by Focus as two shots and two hits on the Sumy direction.

    Sources: DPSU Steel Border BS-3 BMP, Focus BS-3 BMP Hits

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

Ukrainian use of the BS-3 is documented by official State Border Guard Service material and by Ukrainian defense reporting. Defense Express reported in October 2023 that State Border Guard Service footage from early September 2023 was the first official confirmation of BS-3 guns in active Ukrainian service, and it described a separate field-position photo showing a BS-3 and a preserved 100 mm shell.

The clearest direct-use incident in open reporting came from the 15th Mobile Border Guard Detachment "Steel Border". The State Border Guard Service published a December 2024 video item saying Steel Border artillerymen fired a BS-3 and achieved two hits on an enemy BMP; Focus reported the same event as two BS-3 shots and two hits on Russian infantry fighting vehicles during a Sumy-direction attack.

Sources: Defense Express BS-3 Ukraine Photo, DPSU Steel Border BS-3 BMP, Focus BS-3 BMP Hits

Timeline

The public record begins in 2023 with Ukrainian BS-3 appearances, then becomes more specific in 2024 as Steel Border footage and reporting placed the gun in border-guard fire missions. Later TSN field reporting from the Sumy direction also described Steel Border artillery crews using the 1944-pattern BS-3 to hold Russian attacks at distance.

Open-source loss documentation adds a separate corroborating layer. Oryx's visually confirmed Ukrainian equipment-loss list records four 100 mm BS-3 anti-tank guns lost during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, split between two destroyed and two captured examples.

Sources: Defense Express BS-3 Ukraine Photo, DPSU Steel Border BS-3 BMP, Focus Steel Border BS-3 July, TSN Steel Border Sumy Report, Oryx Ukrainian Equipment Losses

Battlefield role

In Ukrainian service, the BS-3 appears as a scarce legacy artillery piece rather than a standard modern gun. Defense Express framed the 2023 appearance as evidence of Ukraine pressing older artillery into active service, while Focus reported that Steel Border crews used BS-3 guns for combat work and showed 100 mm M63P1 ammunition with the gun.

The documented roles are fire support and direct anti-armor fire. Focus's December 2024 account placed the BS-3 on the Sumy direction against Russian infantry fighting vehicles during a frontal attack, and TSN later reported Steel Border crews using the gun to destroy a Russian self-propelled system and fortifications several kilometers from the front. Those reports support the compact catalog roles of fire support and anti-armor use without establishing a large fleet size.

Sources: Defense Express BS-3 Ukraine Photo, Focus Steel Border BS-3 July, Focus BS-3 BMP Hits, TSN Steel Border Sumy Report

Videos

100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3) In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

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Sources