Direct proof of use
The D-20 appears in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War as a legacy 152 mm towed artillery system used by both Russian and Ukrainian forces. Oryx lists visually documented Russian D-20 gun-howitzer losses during the full-scale invasion, including destroyed, damaged, and captured examples.
Ukrainian use is documented separately through Defense Express reporting based on ArmyInform material. That report described Ukrainian forces actively employing captured Russian D-20 gun-howitzers on the Kherson front in July 2023.
Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, Defense Express Captured D-20
Timeline
From February 2022 onward, Oryx's running visual-loss record documents Russian D-20s among the towed artillery systems lost in the full-scale invasion. The entries show the type in Russian field use and also document captured guns moving out of Russian control.
On July 7, 2023, Defense Express reported that Ukrainian troops had two captured D-20 gun-howitzers and were using them on the Kherson front. The report described the captured guns as active fire-support weapons rather than merely recovered battlefield materiel.
Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, Defense Express Captured D-20
Narrative
The documented role of the D-20 in this conflict is conventional tube-artillery fire support. Russian use is evidenced by visual-loss documentation: a weapon does not need to be seen firing in every entry for the loss record to establish that Russian forces fielded the type in the theater.
Ukraine's documented use came from captured Russian examples. Defense Express reported that the captured D-20s were used against Russian forces on the Kherson front, including against troop concentrations, armored and motor-vehicle clusters, and bunkers, according to the Ukrainian commander cited in the report.
The sources support fielding, capture, and use; they do not establish a complete order of battle, total quantities in service, or every unit that operated the D-20. The strongest supported conclusion is that the weapon served as a towed 152 mm fire-support system on both sides after Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion.
Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, Defense Express Captured D-20
