Konkurs anti-tank guided missiles were documented with Ukrainian pro-government and Russian-aligned separatist forces in the early Donbas war, and Russian 9P148 Konkurs vehicles appeared near Vuhledar during the 2023 full-scale invasion fighting.
| Claim | Sources |
|---|---|
| Konkurs systems were employed in Ukraine by pro-government and separatist forces before the full-scale invasion. | Sources: ARES Konkurs ATGM |
| Ukrainian forces were reported using Stugna-P or Konkurs in a June 2022 anti-armor engagement against a Russian BRDM-2. | Sources: Army Recognition Ukrainian ATGMs |
| Russian forces deployed 9P148 Konkurs anti-tank missile vehicles near Vuhledar in winter-spring 2023. | Sources: Defense Express Vuhledar 9P148 |
Timeline
Armament Research Services reported that Konkurs systems had been employed by pro-government fighters and separatist forces in Ukraine.
Sources: ARES Konkurs ATGM
Army Recognition reported that Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade destroyed a Russian BRDM-2 using a Stugna-P or Konkurs anti-tank guided missile.
Sources: Army Recognition Ukrainian ATGMs
Defense Express reported Russian 9P148 Konkurs anti-tank missile vehicles among systems used in assaults on Ukrainian positions near Vuhledar during winter-spring 2023.
Sources: Defense Express Vuhledar 9P148
Armament Research Services documented 9M113 Konkurs employment in Ukraine before the full-scale invasion, identifying use by pro-government fighters and separatist forces. That evidence places the missile family on both Ukrainian and Russian-aligned sides of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, with the weapon appearing as a direct-fire anti-armor system rather than as a transfer or inventory-only item.
During the full-scale phase, Defense Express reported that Russian invasion forces deployed BRDM-2-based 9P148 Konkurs anti-tank missile vehicles among weapons used in assaults on Ukrainian positions near Vuhledar in winter-spring 2023. Army Recognition separately reported a June 2022 Ukrainian engagement in which the 24th Mechanized Brigade destroyed a Russian BRDM-2 using a Stugna-P or Konkurs anti-tank guided missile, making that incident useful as supporting evidence for Ukrainian anti-armor use but not as a uniquely confirmed Konkurs strike.
Sources: ARES Konkurs ATGM, Defense Express Vuhledar 9P148, Army Recognition Ukrainian ATGMs
The clearest dated sequence begins with ARES' July 2016 article, which described Konkurs systems as already employed by pro-government fighters and separatist forces in Ukraine. On June 1, 2022, Army Recognition reported a Ukrainian 24th Mechanized Brigade anti-armor engagement against a Russian BRDM-2 and identified the weapon as Stugna-P or Konkurs. On July 4, 2023, Defense Express reported Russian 9P148 Konkurs vehicles near Vuhledar, tying the self-propelled Konkurs carrier to the winter-spring 2023 fighting there.
Sources: ARES Konkurs ATGM, Army Recognition Ukrainian ATGMs, Defense Express Vuhledar 9P148
In this conflict, Konkurs filled the legacy Soviet anti-tank guided missile role: a wire-guided weapon used from infantry launchers, infantry fighting vehicles, or the 9P148 anti-tank carrier to engage armored vehicles and firing positions. The available public sources do not establish a single continuous unit history for every launcher, but they do separate three supported categories: early-war Ukrainian and separatist field use, a Ukrainian 2022 anti-armor engagement in which Konkurs was one of the identified possible systems, and Russian 9P148 vehicle deployment near Vuhledar in 2023.
The Russian 9P148 evidence is vehicle-specific. Defense Express described the system as uncommon in Russian service during the full-scale invasion and linked its Vuhledar appearance to naval infantry units, while noting that its battlefield impact in that operation appeared limited compared with other Russian weapons reported in the same fighting.
Sources: ARES Konkurs ATGM, Army Recognition Ukrainian ATGMs, Defense Express Vuhledar 9P148
