OSCE monitoring documented a probable PM-43 120 mm mortar in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region during the Donbas phase of the Russia-Ukraine War.
| Claim | Sources |
|---|---|
| One probable PM-43 120 mm mortar was documented near Dachne in non-government-controlled Luhansk region on 22 September 2021. | Sources: OSCE SMM Daily Report 224/2021 |
| The documented event supports field presence, not a confirmed firing incident or battle-damage assessment tied to that specific mortar. | Sources: OSCE SMM Daily Report 224/2021 |
| The PM-43 is a 120 mm smoothbore heavy mortar used for indirect fire support. | Sources: 120mm PM-43 |
Timeline
The OSCE SMM recorded one probable PM-43 120 mm mortar near Dachne, west of Luhansk, in a non-government-controlled area and listed it as a weapon in violation of withdrawal lines.
Sources: OSCE SMM Daily Report 224/2021
The PM-43 is documented in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through an OSCE Special Monitoring Mission report from September 2021. In its table of weapons in violation of withdrawal lines, the mission listed one mortar, assessed as a probable PM-43 120 mm system, near Dachne, about 47 km west of Luhansk, in a non-government-controlled area.
The OSCE entry was based on mini-UAV observation and records field presence rather than a firing incident. The same report summarized that the mission saw two mortars in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region.
Sources: OSCE SMM Daily Report 224/2021
On 22 September 2021, OSCE monitors recorded the probable PM-43 near Dachne. The finding appeared in Daily Report 224/2021, issued on 24 September 2021, as part of the mission's weapons-withdrawal monitoring under the Minsk-related withdrawal regime.
Sources: OSCE SMM Daily Report 224/2021
The PM-43 is a Soviet-origin 120 mm smoothbore heavy mortar intended for indirect infantry fire support. Its two-wheel carriage and muzzle-loaded 120 mm tube made it a legacy heavy mortar design that remained common in Cold War-derived inventories.
In the Russia-Ukraine War record, the documented PM-43 appearance is limited to a monitored weapon-presence event in Luhansk region rather than confirmed combat firing. The OSCE observation places the system in a non-government-controlled area during the Donbas phase of the war.
Sources: 120mm PM-43, OSCE SMM Daily Report 224/2021
