The 9M133 Kornet appears in the Russia-Ukraine War through separatist-held missile remnants in 2014-2015, Russian Kornet-T carrier losses after the 2022 full-scale invasion, and Ukrainian capture of an abandoned Russian launcher.
| Claim | Sources |
|---|---|
| 9K135 Kornet ATGWs and 9M133 missile remnants were documented with pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine in 2014-2015. | Sources: ARES Kornet Evidence |
| Russian Kornet-T self-propelled anti-tank missile carriers were destroyed during the full-scale invasion. | Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, Defence Blog Kornet-T Loss |
| Ukrainian marines captured an abandoned Russian Kornet ATGM in southern Ukraine in October 2022. | Sources: Ukrainska Pravda Kornet Capture |
Timeline
Armament Research Services reported further evidence of 9K135 Kornet ATGWs and 9M133 missile remnants associated with pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.
Sources: ARES Kornet Evidence
Defence Blog reported the destruction in Ukraine of a Russian 9P162/9P163M-1 Kornet-T anti-tank missile carrier.
Sources: Defence Blog Kornet-T Loss
Oryx's visual-loss list for Russia's invasion of Ukraine recorded two destroyed Russian 9P163M-1 Kornet-T anti-tank missile carriers.
Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses
Ukrainska Pravda reported that the 36th Separate Marine Brigade seized a Kornet ATGM abandoned by Russian forces in southern Ukraine.
Sources: Ukrainska Pravda Kornet Capture
Kornet-family anti-tank guided weapons are documented in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through both early-war munition evidence and later full-scale-invasion battlefield records. Armament Research Services reported 9K135 Kornet ATGWs and 9M133 missile remnants associated with pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine in 2014-2015, describing the system as notable because it was not produced in Ukraine and was not known to be in Ukrainian security-force inventories.
During the full-scale invasion, Russian use is also documented through visually recorded losses of the self-propelled 9P163M-1 Kornet-T anti-tank missile carrier. Oryx lists two Russian 9P163M-1 Kornet-T vehicles destroyed, and Defence Blog reported an April 2022 destroyed Kornet-T in Ukraine.
Sources: ARES Kornet Evidence, Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, Defence Blog Kornet-T Loss
In April 2015, ARES published further evidence of 9K135 Kornet ATGWs in Ukraine, including 9M133-series remnants tied to the fighting in eastern Ukraine. The article treated the Kornet as a significant flag item because of its Russian origin and absence from known Ukrainian inventories at the time.
In April 2022, after Russia's full-scale invasion, Defence Blog reported that a Russian 9P162/9P163M-1 Kornet-T anti-tank missile carrier had been destroyed in Ukraine. Oryx's running visual-loss list later recorded two Russian 9P163M-1 Kornet-T carriers destroyed. On 9 October 2022, Ukrainska Pravda reported that Ukraine's 36th Separate Marine Brigade had seized an abandoned Russian Kornet ATGM in southern Ukraine.
Sources: ARES Kornet Evidence, Defence Blog Kornet-T Loss, Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, Ukrainska Pravda Kornet Capture
The documented Kornet role in this conflict is anti-armor guided-missile fielding by Russian-aligned forces and, after 2022, Russian forces. The early evidence concerns dismounted or launcher-associated ATGW remnants in separatist-held eastern Ukraine, while the later evidence includes dedicated Kornet-T tank-destroyer vehicles based on the BMP-3 chassis.
The Ukrainian-side evidence used here is capture rather than confirmed Ukrainian firing. Ukrainska Pravda, citing the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reported that Ukrainian marines seized a Kornet ATGM abandoned by Russian forces during a retreat in southern Ukraine. That supports captured-equipment context, but it does not by itself establish a separate Ukrainian combat engagement with the captured launcher.
Sources: ARES Kornet Evidence, Defence Blog Kornet-T Loss, Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, Ukrainska Pravda Kornet Capture
