Direct proof of use
The public Ukraine record for the M69 mortar centers on the M69A 82 mm variant. In November 2022, N1 Sarajevo reported that Ukrainian troops had received several M69A 82 mm mortars and cited footage of Ukrainian soldiers unpacking three Bosnian M69A mortars. The same report noted visible BNT markings, referring to Bratstvo Novi Travnik.
Militarnyi separately reported that OSINT researchers from Ukraine Weapons Tracker identified 82 mm M69A mortars among weapons received by Ukraine. Later regional reporting from Sarajevo Times stated in December 2023 that a BNT-TMiH Novi Travnik mortar had again been spotted on the Ukrainian battlefield in service with the army of Ukraine.
Sources: N1 Bosnian Weapons Delivered to Ukraine, Militarnyi M69A Mortars Received, Sarajevo Times M69A Ukrainian Battlefield
Timeline
The first cited public documentation is from November 2022, when open-source footage and subsequent reporting placed M69A mortars in Ukrainian hands. The available reporting described receipt and unpacking, not a named donor shipment or a specific firing mission.
A second public mention in December 2023 described the BNT-TMiH mortar as again noticed on the Ukrainian battlefield in Ukrainian Army service. That later report supports continued battlefield presence, while leaving the transfer chain unresolved.
Sources: N1 Bosnian Weapons Delivered to Ukraine, Militarnyi M69A Mortars Received, Sarajevo Times M69A Ukrainian Battlefield
Role and supply context
Within the conflict record, the M69A appears as a Ukrainian infantry mortar used for indirect fire support. Sarajevo Times described the M69A as a medium-weight, high-angle mortar mainly used for long-range indirect fire support of light infantry, and the Yugoimport product sheet gives the M69A a four-person crew, NSB-3 sight, high-angle elevation, and 82.14 mm caliber.
The source route remains uncertain. N1 reported that it was unclear how the mortars came to Ukraine or whether the examples were genuinely Bosnian-made or copies. Strategic Analysis later summarized the Western Balkan supply context by stating that Bosnia and Herzegovina-made shells and mortars had been used by Ukrainian forces, while noting no official Bosnian donation or export to Ukraine and pointing to third-party transfers or donations as the likely pathway.
Sources: Sarajevo Times M69A Ukrainian Battlefield, Yugoimport 82 mm M69A Mortar, N1 Bosnian Weapons Delivered to Ukraine, Strategic Analysis Western Balkans Ukraine Support
