Direct proof of use
The 152 mm D-1 gun-howitzer appears in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War record through open reporting on Russian and Russian-aligned artillery. The Insider reported in May 2023 that D-1 howitzers began arriving to troops in August 2022, that footage of the type in Donbas emerged in October 2022, and that later combat footage appeared to date from summer 2022.
Newsweek separately reported a February 2023 video appeal from a Wagner artillery unit during the Bakhmut fighting. The unit said it was covering assault groups and asked Russia's defense ministry for 152 mm D-1 howitzer ammunition, tying the D-1 ammunition requirement to a named Russian-aligned artillery unit in the same conflict.
Sources: The Insider Stalin-era equipment report, Newsweek Wagner ammunition appeal
Timeline
The public D-1 record in Ukraine begins in the full-scale phase of the war rather than the initial 2014 fighting. The Insider places the first reported arrivals in August 2022, with Donbas footage following in October 2022 and additional combat footage apparently linked to summer 2022.
On February 17, 2023, Newsweek reported the Wagner ammunition appeal during the Bakhmut campaign. In November 2024, RBC-Ukraine reported that Russian forces had started using 1930s- and 1940s-era guns at the front, including the 152 mm D-1 howitzer.
Sources: The Insider Stalin-era equipment report, Newsweek Wagner ammunition appeal, RBC-Ukraine Russian ammo interview
Battlefield role
The source-backed role for the D-1 in this conflict is legacy Russian fire support. The weapon is a towed 152 mm howitzer from the Second World War era, and the strongest public evidence ties its modern use to Russian or Russian-aligned artillery units rather than to a complete inventory or comprehensive firing history.
The Insider described the D-1's reappearance as part of Russia's use of older Soviet equipment after heavy equipment losses and new-unit formation demands. Newsweek's Wagner report supplies a more specific battlefield role: an artillery unit said it was covering assault groups and needed D-1 ammunition during operations around Bakhmut.
Sources: The Insider Stalin-era equipment report, Newsweek Wagner ammunition appeal
Later front-line reporting
RBC-Ukraine reported in November 2024 that Russian forces had begun using older guns at the front, naming both 122 mm M-30 howitzers and 152 mm D-1 howitzers. That account came in an article about Russian ammunition supply and battlefield adaptation, and it supports continued Russian D-1 use beyond the first 2022-2023 sightings.
The available sources do not establish a verified count of D-1 guns in Ukraine, a full list of units operating them, or a precise number of firing incidents. They do support the narrower conclusion that Russian and Russian-aligned forces fielded the D-1 for artillery fire support in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.
Sources: RBC-Ukraine Russian ammo interview, The Insider Stalin-era equipment report, Newsweek Wagner ammunition appeal
