2014 Russia-Ukraine War

M1117 in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

Ukraine received U.S.-supplied M1117 Armored Security Vehicles during the full-scale phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, with public evidence from 2024 showing Ukrainian units operating the vehicles for protected mobility and troop transport.

Weapon profileM1117
SideUkraineRoleTraining & Foreign AidForce ProtectionMobility & Logistics
M1117, 4x4 armored security vehicle, Armored Vehicles - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: DVIDS Camp Liberty M1117

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
The United States funded refurbishment of 250 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles for Ukraine in November 2022.

Sources: DoD Ukraine Security Assistance November 2022

Ukrainian unit footage publicly showed a U.S.-supplied M1117 in March 2024.

Sources: Forces News M1117 Ukraine March 2024, Business Insider M1117 Ukraine March 2024

Additional M1117s were included in a September 2024 U.S. PDA package from existing inventories.

Sources: DoD Ukraine Security Assistance September 2024

By January 2025, DoD listed more than 400 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles committed to Ukraine.

Sources: DoD Ukraine Fact Sheet January 2025

Open reporting identifies the Ukrainian role as protected troop transport, mobility, and force protection rather than a documented first combat engagement.

Sources: Forces News M1117 Ukraine March 2024, Business Insider M1117 Ukraine March 2024, Kyiv Post Afghan Version M1117 Ukraine

Timeline

M1117 In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. U.S. funds M1117 refurbishment for Ukraine

    DoD announced USAI funding to refurbish 250 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles for Ukraine.

    Sources: DoD Ukraine Security Assistance November 2022

  2. Ukrainian unit footage surfaces

    Forces News reported footage showing Ukrainian armed forces using a U.S.-supplied M1117, reportedly from members of the 425th Separate Assault Battalion Skala.

    Sources: Forces News M1117 Ukraine March 2024

  3. Training-ground context reported

    Business Insider reported that the Skala Battalion video appeared to show a U.S.-made M1117 driven by Ukrainian troops, while noting that the exact location and filming date could not be independently verified.

    Sources: Business Insider M1117 Ukraine March 2024

  4. Additional M1117s included in PDA package

    DoD announced a $375 million PDA package for Ukraine that included M1117 Armored Security Vehicles from U.S. inventories.

    Sources: DoD Ukraine Security Assistance September 2024

  5. Committed total listed above 400

    A DoD fact sheet listed more than 400 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles among U.S. security assistance committed to Ukraine.

    Sources: DoD Ukraine Fact Sheet January 2025

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The M1117 Armored Security Vehicle entered the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through U.S. security assistance to Ukraine. On November 4, 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense announced USAI funding to refurbish 250 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles for Ukraine, and on September 25, 2024, DoD announced a separate Presidential Drawdown Authority package from U.S. inventories that included additional M1117s.

Public battlefield-adjacent evidence appeared in March 2024, when reporting by Forces News and Business Insider described video posted by Ukraine's 425th Separate Assault Battalion, Skala, showing Ukrainian troops using a U.S.-supplied M1117 on rough ground. Kyiv Post later summarized the fielding record, stating that the first images of M1117s being used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine appeared in March 2024 with a 425th Skala unit.

Sources: DoD Ukraine Security Assistance November 2022, DoD Ukraine Security Assistance September 2024, Forces News M1117 Ukraine March 2024, Business Insider M1117 Ukraine March 2024, Kyiv Post Afghan Version M1117 Ukraine

Timeline

The public record starts with transfer commitments rather than combat incident reports. The first major U.S. package for the type funded refurbishment of 250 vehicles in November 2022, while public video evidence from March 2024 showed the vehicles in Ukrainian hands. By January 2025, a DoD fact sheet listed more than 400 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles among U.S. security assistance committed to Ukraine.

The September 2024 PDA package matters because it changed the public record from a refurbishment-funded batch to additional vehicles drawn from U.S. stocks. The available sources do not identify a first combat engagement for the M1117 in Ukraine, so the dated record is best treated as delivery, fielding, and visible unit operation rather than a battle-by-battle chronology.

Sources: DoD Ukraine Security Assistance November 2022, Forces News M1117 Ukraine March 2024, DoD Ukraine Security Assistance September 2024, DoD Ukraine Fact Sheet January 2025

Ukraine role

In Ukrainian service, the M1117 is documented as a protected mobility vehicle rather than a tank or infantry fighting vehicle. Forces News described Ukrainian soldiers riding on and around the vehicle in surfaced footage and said the system was expected to protect troops during transport, while Business Insider identified the video as likely taken on a Ukrainian training ground and noted the vehicle's 40 mm automatic grenade launcher and .50-caliber machine gun.

Kyiv Post later connected the same March 2024 appearance to broader Ukrainian operation of U.S.-supplied M1117s and reported images of Ukrainian vehicles fitted with anti-drone cages and other local protection additions. That evidence supports the catalog role as protected troop transport, force protection, and mobility support for Ukrainian units, with exact tactical use varying by unit and not fully public.

Sources: Forces News M1117 Ukraine March 2024, Business Insider M1117 Ukraine March 2024, Kyiv Post Afghan Version M1117 Ukraine

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Sources