2014 Russia-Ukraine War

M114 155 mm Howitzer in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

Ukrainian forces fielded U.S.-origin M114A1 155 mm towed howitzers during the full-scale phase of the war, with public sightings in 2025 and transfer reporting tied to allied stocks.

Weapon profileM114 155 mm Howitzer
SideUkraineRoleFire SupportTraining & Foreign Aid
M114 155 mm Howitzer, 155 mm towed field howitzer, Artillery - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: M114 155 mm Howitzer, Minto, NB Image

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Ukrainian forces fielded M114A1 155 mm howitzers during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

Sources: UNITED24 M114 Ukraine Frontline Report, Militarnyi M114 Ukraine Report

A Ukrainian M114 crew was documented operating and firing near the Pokrovsk front in Donetsk region in October 2025.

Sources: Frontliner M114 Pokrovsk Report

Portugal approved a 2022 transfer of five M114 155 mm towed howitzers to Ukraine.

Sources: Army Recognition Portugal M114 Transfer

Greek M114A1 stocks were reported as part of a Czech-mediated aid channel to Ukraine in 2024.

Sources: Defense Express Greece M114A1 Aid

The available public sources support Ukrainian fielding and some transfer channels, but not the exact donor origin of each gun seen in Ukrainian service.

Sources: UNITED24 M114 Ukraine Frontline Report, Defense Express M114 Ukraine Source Analysis

Timeline

M114 155 mm Howitzer In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. Portugal transfer reported

    Army Recognition reported that Portugal approved sending 15 M113 armored personnel carriers and five M114 155 mm towed howitzers to Ukraine.

    Sources: Army Recognition Portugal M114 Transfer

  2. Greek M114A1 aid channel reported

    Defense Express reported a Greek-Czech aid package for Ukraine that included 70 M114A1 155 mm howitzers, while noting earlier Portuguese M114A1 aid.

    Sources: Defense Express Greece M114A1 Aid

  3. First public Ukrainian-service sighting reported

    UNITED24 and Militarnyi reported that Ukrainian forces had begun fielding M114A1 155 mm howitzers after footage was published by a Ukrainian serviceman.

    Sources: UNITED24 M114 Ukraine Frontline Report, Militarnyi M114 Ukraine Report

  4. M114 documented at a Donetsk-region firing position

    Frontliner documented artillerymen of Ukraine's 152nd Jaeger Brigade operating and firing an M114 howitzer near the Pokrovsk front.

    Sources: Frontliner M114 Pokrovsk Report

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The M114A1 was publicly documented in Ukrainian service in April 2025, when UNITED24 and Militarnyi reported that Ukrainian forces had begun fielding the U.S.-origin 155 mm howitzer after footage appeared from a Ukrainian serviceman. Those reports described the weapon as being in active use, not merely in storage or pledged for transfer.

A later Frontliner field report placed an M114 with artillerymen of Ukraine's 152nd Jaeger Brigade in Donetsk region on October 15-16, 2025. The report described the crew at a position near the Pokrovsk front and documented the gun firing after a fire order, giving the strongest source-backed example of observed combat use.

Sources: UNITED24 M114 Ukraine Frontline Report, Militarnyi M114 Ukraine Report, Frontliner M114 Pokrovsk Report

Timeline

Transfer reporting preceded public combat-use imagery. In May 2022, Army Recognition reported that Portugal had approved sending five M114 155 mm towed howitzers to Ukraine, citing Portuguese newspaper reporting; Defense Express later described that Portuguese batch as earlier aid and reported a Greece-Czech channel for additional M114A1 howitzers.

Public battlefield confirmation came later. On April 23-24, 2025, UNITED24, Militarnyi, and Defense Express reported the first public appearance of M114A1 howitzers with Ukrainian forces. By October 2025, Frontliner documented a 152nd Jaeger Brigade crew operating an M114 in Donetsk region.

Sources: Army Recognition Portugal M114 Transfer, Defense Express Greece M114A1 Aid, UNITED24 M114 Ukraine Frontline Report, Defense Express M114 Ukraine Source Analysis, Frontliner M114 Pokrovsk Report

Narrative

The M114's role in Ukrainian service was conventional tube-artillery fire support. UNITED24 characterized the system as able to support indirect-fire missions despite its age, while Frontliner described a Ukrainian crew using the gun against Russian forces from a camouflaged frontline position.

The available sources separate transfer from observed use. Portugal was reported to have approved five M114 howitzers for Ukraine in 2022, and Greek stocks were reported through Czech-mediated assistance in 2024, but the public sources do not identify the exact donor origin of every gun later seen in Ukrainian service.

The system's battlefield value was bounded by its legacy design. Defense Express and UNITED24 both noted the 155 mm caliber and roughly 14.6 km maximum range; Frontliner's account showed a crew using it under persistent drone threat, with camouflage, short firing windows, and manual ammunition handling shaping its employment.

Sources: UNITED24 M114 Ukraine Frontline Report, Defense Express M114 Ukraine Source Analysis, Frontliner M114 Pokrovsk Report

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Sources