2014 Russia-Ukraine War

MT-LB with 82-mm automatic mortar 2B9 Vasilek in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

Russian forces fielded MT-LB carriers fitted with 82 mm 2B9 Vasilek automatic mortars during the full-scale phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, with the configuration documented in battlefield destruction and visual-loss records.

Weapon profileMT-LB with 82-mm automatic mortar 2B9 Vasilek
SideRussiaRoleFire SupportCaptured Equipment
MT-LB with 82-mm automatic mortar 2B9 Vasilek, Tracked self-propelled automatic mortar conversion, Artillery - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: Commons 2B9 Vasilek mortar-4058

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Russian forces fielded MT-LB vehicles fitted with 82 mm 2B9 Vasilek automatic mortars during the full-scale phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses Ukraine, NUOU 82 mm Mortar 2B9 Vasilek

A Russian MT-LB with a 2B9 was reported destroyed in August 2022 by Ukrainian 22nd Separate Motorized Infantry Battalion mortar operators.

Sources: NUOU 82 mm Mortar 2B9 Vasilek

Oryx visually documents two Russian MT-LB with 82 mm automatic mortar 2B9 Vasilek losses, one destroyed and one damaged.

Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses Ukraine

The 2B9/2B9M Vasilek is an automatic 82 mm mortar that has been adapted to MT-LB tracked carriers.

Sources: ARES 2B9M Vasilek Background, 82mm 2B9 Vasilek

A related Russian MT-LB conversion combined a UB-32 rocket pod with a 2B9 Vasilek mortar in Ukraine.

Sources: Oryx Russian Army Equipment Not Yet Destroyed

Timeline

MT-LB with 82-mm automatic mortar 2B9 Vasilek In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. Russian MT-LB with 2B9 reported destroyed

    The National Defence University of Ukraine states that mortar operators of Ukraine's 22nd Separate Motorized Infantry Battalion destroyed a Russian MT-LB with a 2B9 in August 2022.

    Sources: NUOU 82 mm Mortar 2B9 Vasilek

  2. Related hybrid MT-LB/Vasilek conversion listed

    Oryx listed an MT-LB fitted with a UB-32 rocket pod and 2B9 Vasilek mortar among Russian equipment types observed in Ukraine that had not yet been destroyed at the time.

    Sources: Oryx Russian Army Equipment Not Yet Destroyed

  3. Russian losses include MT-LB/Vasilek vehicles

    Oryx's running Russian equipment-loss list records two MT-LB vehicles with 82 mm automatic mortar 2B9 Vasilek systems in Ukraine, one destroyed and one damaged.

    Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses Ukraine

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The MT-LB-mounted 2B9 Vasilek is directly tied to Russian-side use in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through battlefield loss documentation. Oryx's visually documented Russian equipment-loss list records two MT-LB vehicles fitted with 82 mm automatic mortar 2B9 Vasilek systems during the full-scale invasion, one destroyed and one damaged.

A Ukrainian institutional source separately describes the destruction of a Russian MT-LB with a 2B9 in August 2022 by mortar operators of Ukraine's 22nd Separate Motorized Infantry Battalion. That report supports a Russian-operated mounted 2B9 system in the war, while the Oryx list supplies the broader visual-loss category for the exact MT-LB/Vasilek configuration.

Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses Ukraine, NUOU 82 mm Mortar 2B9 Vasilek

Timeline

The clearest dated milestone is the August 2022 report of a Russian MT-LB with a 2B9 being destroyed by Ukrainian mortar operators. The public loss record then documents additional Russian MT-LB/Vasilek examples as destroyed or damaged equipment in the full-scale invasion.

In March 2023, Oryx's list of Russian Army equipment types not yet destroyed in Ukraine included a related MT-LB conversion carrying both a UB-32 rocket pod and a 2B9 Vasilek mortar. That entry is useful for the vehicle-conversion pattern, but the main conflict-use claim for this page rests on the exact MT-LB with 82 mm 2B9 Vasilek loss category and the August 2022 Russian MT-LB/2B9 destruction report.

Sources: NUOU 82 mm Mortar 2B9 Vasilek, Oryx Russian Equipment Losses Ukraine, Oryx Russian Army Equipment Not Yet Destroyed

Tracked automatic mortar role

The configuration combines the MT-LB tracked armored carrier with the 2B9 or 2B9M Vasilek automatic mortar. Armament Research Services describes the 2B9M as an automatic 82 mm mortar that can fire from four-round clips and notes that MT-LB armored vehicles have been adapted to carry the mortar. WeaponSystems.net likewise describes the 2B9 as an 82 mm automatic mortar and identifies MT-LB top mounting as an observed arrangement.

In Ukraine, the documented Russian examples therefore fit a short-range tracked fire-support role rather than a separate factory-standard armored vehicle type. The sources support Russian fielding, destruction, and damage of the mounted conversion; they do not establish a full inventory, unit table, or production run for the MT-LB/Vasilek variant.

Sources: ARES 2B9M Vasilek Background, 82mm 2B9 Vasilek, Oryx Russian Equipment Losses Ukraine, NUOU 82 mm Mortar 2B9 Vasilek

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Sources