Ukraine fielded French-designed MO-120 RT 120 mm rifled towed mortars after Belgium transferred four systems in November 2022, with open reporting documenting Ukrainian crews firing them near Bakhmut in December 2022.
| Claim | Sources |
|---|---|
| Belgium transferred four 120 mm MO-120 RT mortars to Ukraine in November 2022. | |
| Ukrainian soldiers used MO-120 RT mortars near Bakhmut in Donetsk region in December 2022. | Sources: Forces News Ukrainian Soldiers Firing French Mortars |
| The documented battlefield role was front-line mortar fire support for Ukrainian troops. | Sources: Forces News Ukrainian Soldiers Firing French Mortars, U.S. Army ODIN MO-120 RT-61 |
Timeline
Oryx documented four 120 mm MO-120 RT mortars delivered to Ukraine from Belgium in November 2022.
Forces News reported Ukrainian soldiers using French MO-120 RT rifled towed mortars against Russian positions near Bakhmut in Donetsk region.
Sources: Forces News Ukrainian Soldiers Firing French Mortars
The MO-120 RT appears in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War as a Ukrainian heavy mortar supplied from Belgian stocks and then used on the front line. Oryx's Belgian weapons-delivery list records four 120 mm MO-120 RT mortars delivered to Ukraine in November 2022.
Battlefield-use reporting followed in December 2022. Forces News reported that Ukrainian soldiers were using French MO-120 RT rifled towed mortars against Russian positions near Bakhmut in Donetsk region, and described the weapon as providing fire support to Ukrainian troops.
Sources: Oryx Belgian Weapons Deliveries to Ukraine, Forces News Ukrainian Soldiers Firing French Mortars
The documented transfer path is narrow but direct: Belgian-origin MO-120 RT mortars entered the Ukrainian equipment stream in November 2022, during the full-scale phase of the war. The Oryx entry lists the systems under heavy mortars and separately identifies them from Belgian small arms, anti-tank weapons, air-defense missiles, vehicles, and other aid categories.
By 14 December 2022, reporting placed Ukrainian MO-120 RT crews near Bakhmut, a major Donetsk front, firing at Russian positions. The reporting supports operational use by Ukrainian forces rather than only possession or transfer.
Sources: Oryx Belgian Weapons Deliveries to Ukraine, Forces News Ukrainian Soldiers Firing French Mortars
In Ukrainian service, the MO-120 RT filled a front-line indirect-fire role as a towed 120 mm rifled mortar. Forces News described it giving fire support to Ukrainian troops near Bakhmut, while U.S. Army ODIN reference material identifies the MO-120 RT-61 as a heavy mortar used by artillery units to augment heavier artillery.
The available public sources do not identify a larger Ukrainian inventory, a specific Ukrainian unit, or a confirmed first round fired. They do support a limited published record: four Belgian-transferred MO-120 RT mortars and photographed or filmed Ukrainian use near Bakhmut in December 2022.
Sources: Forces News Ukrainian Soldiers Firing French Mortars, U.S. Army ODIN MO-120 RT-61
