Direct Proof Of Use
Ukrainian use of the MT-12 Rapira is documented by field reporting and unit-specific accounts from July 2022. RFE/RL reported from the Kharkiv region with artillerymen of Ukraine's 93rd Mechanized Brigade as they operated Soviet-era Rapira anti-tank guns against Russian forces. Defense Express, citing Ukraine's Ministry of Defense footage, separately reported that an artillery unit of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade used a 100 mm MT-12 Rapira gun.
The weapon also appeared outside regular Ukrainian army artillery units. Defense Express reported that artillerymen in a brigade of the Northern Operational Territorial Unit of Ukraine's National Guard received 100 mm MT-12 Rapira guns and trained to use them against armored vehicles, support mechanized units, and fire from closed positions. The same outlet later summarized public evidence that Rapira guns were being used by the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, Ukrainian marines, and the National Guard.
Sources: RFE/RL Kharkiv Rapira, Defense Express Bulgarian Shells, Defense Express National Guard Rapira
Timeline
By 2014, Ukraine retained a large MT-12 inventory; the National Defence University of Ukraine states that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had about 500 MT-12 Rapira guns in service as of that year. In February 2022, just before the full-scale invasion, The War Zone reported Ukrainian exercises that included radar-equipped MT-12R guns, showing that the family remained part of Ukrainian anti-armor planning.
In July 2022, Ukrainian National Guard and 93rd Mechanized Brigade use became publicly visible through military-released imagery, Defense Express reporting, Newsweek coverage of National Guard combat firing, and RFE/RL video from the Kharkiv front. In March and December 2023, reporting documented Russian MT-12 activity: Defense Express described photos of Rapira guns being redeployed from storage, while Army Recognition reported Russian official video of Vostok group crews fighting with MT-12 Rapira guns in the South Donetsk direction.
Sources: National Defence University MT-12, The War Zone MT-12R Exercise, Defense Express National Guard Rapira, Newsweek National Guard MT-12, RFE/RL Kharkiv Rapira, Defense Express Russian Rapira Redeployment, Army Recognition Russian MT-12 Use
Battlefield Role
The Rapira's role in this conflict spans its original anti-armor purpose and a broader support-fire function. Ukrainian National Guard reporting described crews preparing combat positions, bringing the guns into action, destroying armored vehicles, and supporting mechanized units. Defense Express also linked Ukraine's continued Rapira use to demand for imported 100 mm ammunition, including Bulgarian 3UBK2 HEAT-FRAG projectiles seen with a 93rd Mechanized Brigade crew.
Russian use is documented later and appears tied to artillery scarcity, defensive anti-tank positions, and the reuse of stored Soviet equipment. Defense Express reported March 2023 photos of Russian MT-12 guns being moved, including examples in occupied Crimea and rail transport, and assessed that indirect fire was a likely role because the gun can fire high-explosive ammunition from closed positions. Army Recognition later described Russian MT-12 Rapira crews from the Vostok group in the South Donetsk direction and framed the system as being used in indirect-fire and defensive positions.
Sources: Defense Express National Guard Rapira, Defense Express Bulgarian Shells, Defense Express Russian Rapira Redeployment, Army Recognition Russian MT-12 Use
Improvised Mounts
Ukrainian forces also adapted at least one MT-12 into a more mobile improvised platform. In August 2022, Defense Express reported that Kraken unit fighters had mounted a 100 mm MT-12 Rapira on a captured MT-LB chassis, citing ArmyInform's account that the unit built the vehicle itself and had already used it on the battlefield. That example is best treated as a field improvisation rather than evidence that the standard towed Rapira changed roles across the whole force.
Sources: Defense Express Kraken MT-LB Rapira
