Direct Proof Of Fielding
The Metis family appears in the Russia-Ukraine War record on both sides, with the strongest public claims tied to the upgraded 9K115-2 Metis-M / AT-13 Saxhorn-2. In July 2022, The War Zone reported that an unspecified Ukrainian unit had released video showing at least three motorcycles with sidecars, each carrying a 9K115-2 Metis-M anti-tank guided missile system.
In December 2023, Army Recognition reported that the Russian Ministry of Defense had released video on VK showing Russian forces deployed in Ukraine using the AT-13 Saxhorn-2, also identified as the Metis-M or 9K115-2, against Ukrainian tanks and heavy armored vehicles.
Sources: TWZ Ukrainian Metis-M Sidecars, Army Recognition Russian AT-13 Use
Timeline
The dated public record begins in July 2022 with Ukrainian fielding footage reported by The War Zone. That report identified the visible weapon as a man-portable, wire-guided Russian Metis-M anti-tank missile system and described the motorcycle-and-sidecar arrangement as a way to move a two-person missile team to a firing area before dismounting the launcher.
The next clear dated milestone in this record is December 2023, when Army Recognition reported Russian Ministry of Defense footage of Russian AT-13 Saxhorn-2 / Metis-M use in Ukraine. The report framed the system as a portable anti-armor weapon used against Ukrainian armored vehicles.
Sources: TWZ Ukrainian Metis-M Sidecars, Army Recognition Russian AT-13 Use
Role In The Conflict
In this conflict, the Metis-M evidence supports a portable anti-armor role rather than a large fixed formation or vehicle-mounted missile system. The War Zone's Ukrainian example shows the launcher transported by a light sidecar vehicle and then treated as a dismounted two-person anti-tank weapon, while Army Recognition's Russian example describes use against Ukrainian tanks and heavy armored vehicles.
The system background matches that role. Missilery.info describes the 9K115-2 Metis-M as a portable antitank missile system intended for modern armored vehicles, fortifications, and personnel, with the upgraded Metis-M moving to a larger 130 mm missile family. The conflict-specific sources do not establish a complete inventory, delivery chain, unit order of battle, or count of missiles fired by either side.
Sources: TWZ Ukrainian Metis-M Sidecars, Army Recognition Russian AT-13 Use, Missilery Metis-M
