2014 Russia-Ukraine War

M109A6 Paladin in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

The United States committed 18 155 mm self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine in January 2023; subsequent reporting identified them as M109A6 Paladins and documented Ukrainian brigade use in the Zaporizhzhia and Bakhmut sectors.

Weapon profileM109A6 Paladin
SideUkraineRoleFire SupportTraining & Foreign Aid
M109A6 Paladin, 155 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer, Artillery - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: M109A6 Paladin Blast in 2007

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
The United States committed 18 155 mm self-propelled howitzers, ammunition support vehicles, and 155 mm ammunition to Ukraine in January 2023.

Sources: More Than $3 Billion in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine

Reporting identified the January 2023 self-propelled howitzers as M109A6 Paladins and documented delivery to Ukraine's 118th Mechanized Brigade.

Sources: US Delivers M109A6 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzers to Ukraine's 118th Mechanized Brigade

M109A6 Paladins were reported with Ukraine's 47th Mechanized Brigade during the August 2023 Robotyne battles.

Sources: M109 Paladin Helped Ukrainian Forces Push Russians Off Robotyne

U.S.-donated M109A6 Paladins were reported in service with Ukraine's 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade in the Bakhmut sector.

Sources: US-Donated M109A6 Paladin Howitzers Now Operational with Ukraine's 93rd Brigade

An M109A6 Paladin of Ukraine's 118th Mechanized Brigade was filmed driving for firing from a dugout in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in January 2026.

Sources: M109 Howitzer On Service In Ukrainian Army

Timeline

M109A6 Paladin In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. U.S. announces 155 mm self-propelled howitzers for Ukraine

    The U.S. Department of Defense announced a Ukraine security-assistance package including 18 155 mm self-propelled howitzers, ammunition support vehicles, 155 mm artillery rounds, and precision-guided 155 mm rounds.

    Sources: More Than $3 Billion in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine

  2. Delivery to 118th Mechanized Brigade reported

    Army Recognition reported that the United States had delivered M109A6 155 mm self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine's 118th Mechanized Brigade.

    Sources: US Delivers M109A6 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzers to Ukraine's 118th Mechanized Brigade

  3. Robotyne combat use described

    Defense Express reported M109A6 Paladin crews of the 47th Mechanized Brigade in the late-August battles for Robotyne and described shoot-and-scoot artillery employment.

    Sources: M109 Paladin Helped Ukrainian Forces Push Russians Off Robotyne

  4. Bakhmut-sector service with 93rd Brigade reported

    Army Recognition reported that U.S.-donated M109A6 Paladins were in service with Ukraine's 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade in the Bakhmut sector, based on December 2023 social-network imagery.

    Sources: US-Donated M109A6 Paladin Howitzers Now Operational with Ukraine's 93rd Brigade

  5. 118th Brigade Paladin filmed in Zaporizhzhia Oblast

    Getty Images editorial footage identified an M109A6 Paladin of Ukraine's 118th Mechanized Brigade driving for firing from a dugout in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

    Sources: M109 Howitzer On Service In Ukrainian Army

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The M109A6 Paladin entered the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through U.S. military assistance after Russia's full-scale invasion. On January 6, 2023, the U.S. Department of Defense announced a security-assistance package that included 18 155 mm self-propelled howitzers, 18 ammunition support vehicles, 70,000 155 mm artillery rounds, and 500 precision-guided 155 mm artillery rounds for Ukraine.

Reporting later identified the U.S. self-propelled howitzers as M109A6 Paladins and documented their delivery to Ukrainian units. Army Recognition reported a May 2023 delivery to Ukraine's 118th Mechanized Brigade, then reported that U.S.-donated M109A6 Paladins were in service with the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade in the Bakhmut sector by late 2023. Defense Express also reported M109A6 Paladin crews of the 47th Mechanized Brigade in the August 2023 battles for Robotyne, describing artillery fire in a shoot-and-scoot role.

Sources: More Than $3 Billion in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine, US Delivers M109A6 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzers to Ukraine's 118th Mechanized Brigade, US-Donated M109A6 Paladin Howitzers Now Operational with Ukraine's 93rd Brigade, M109 Paladin Helped Ukrainian Forces Push Russians Off Robotyne

Timeline

The public record moves from transfer commitment to unit-level fielding and battlefield use during 2023. The U.S. package was announced on January 6, 2023. Army Recognition reported delivery to the 118th Mechanized Brigade on May 3, citing imagery published the previous day by MilitaryLand.net.

By September 2023, Defense Express placed M109A6 Paladin crews with the 47th Mechanized Brigade during the late-August battle for Robotyne in southern Ukraine. Army Recognition later reported M109A6 Paladins with the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade in the Bakhmut sector, based on pictures published on social networks on December 27, 2023. Getty Images editorial footage dated January 15, 2026 identified an M109A6 Paladin of the 118th Mechanized Brigade driving for firing from a dugout in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Sources: More Than $3 Billion in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine, US Delivers M109A6 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzers to Ukraine's 118th Mechanized Brigade, M109 Paladin Helped Ukrainian Forces Push Russians Off Robotyne, US-Donated M109A6 Paladin Howitzers Now Operational with Ukraine's 93rd Brigade, M109 Howitzer On Service In Ukrainian Army

Narrative

Ukraine used the M109A6 Paladin as a Western 155 mm tracked self-propelled artillery system, not as a standalone strike system. The U.S. transfer paired self-propelled guns with ammunition-support vehicles and large quantities of 155 mm ammunition, indicating a brigade artillery support package built around sustained fires and resupply.

The documented unit trail shows the Paladin distributed among Ukrainian mechanized formations. The 118th Mechanized Brigade was tied to delivery imagery in May 2023 and to later Zaporizhzhia footage in January 2026. Defense Express described the 47th Mechanized Brigade using Paladins during the Robotyne fighting in August 2023, while Army Recognition reported M109A6 Paladins with the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade in the Bakhmut sector in December 2023.

The clearest described battlefield function is mobile indirect fire support. Defense Express, summarizing United24 Media footage, reported that the 47th Brigade used Paladins in a shoot-and-scoot manner during the Robotyne operation and cited a reported shell expenditure of 50 to 100 rounds per day from a single howitzer in the most intense period. Army Recognition's Bakhmut-sector reporting described the U.S.-donated M109A6 Paladins as deployed to fight Russian troops.

Sources: More Than $3 Billion in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine, US Delivers M109A6 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzers to Ukraine's 118th Mechanized Brigade, M109 Paladin Helped Ukrainian Forces Push Russians Off Robotyne, US-Donated M109A6 Paladin Howitzers Now Operational with Ukraine's 93rd Brigade, M109 Howitzer On Service In Ukrainian Army

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