Direct proof of use
The RK-2S appears in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through Ukrainian Stugna-P, Skif, and Bar'er anti-tank missile systems. The National Interest reported that the Stugna-P's basic missile was the RK-2S and that Ukrainian Stugna-Ps were rushed to paratrooper units in July 2014, then used in combat at Luhansk and Donetsk International Airports.
Later full-scale-war evidence connects the same missile family to Ukrainian anti-armor fighting. AUSA's 2023 land-warfare paper, drawing on the DIA ATGM open-source database, listed Bar'er, Skif, and Stugna-P among frequently used anti-tank guided missiles in Ukraine and identified Stugna-P and Bar'er as laser-beam-riding systems with tandem-HEAT warheads. Defense Express separately reported in October 2023 that Ukrainian troops were engaging Russian forces with Stugna-P and that the system fired RK-2S tandem-charge and RK-2OF high-explosive fragmentation missiles.
Sources: National Interest Stugna-P Tank-Killer, AUSA Sagger Drill ATGM Paper, Defense Express HMMWV Stugna-P
Timeline
Stugna-P entered Ukrainian service before the war, but the conflict-specific public trail begins in 2014. The National Interest reported a July 2014 emergency delivery of Stugna-P launchers and missiles to Ukrainian paratroopers and combat use at Luhansk and Donetsk International Airports.
During the full-scale invasion, public reporting shifted from individual Donbas-era fielding to broader anti-armor use. AUSA cited observed Stugna-P/Skif strikes on a Russian armored column uploaded by Ukraine's Omega special-forces unit on February 22, 2023, and Oryx listed a small number of RK-2S Baryer missiles purchased from Belgium's CMI Group for Ukraine in November 2022.
Sources: National Interest Stugna-P Tank-Killer, AUSA Sagger Drill ATGM Paper, Oryx Belgian Weapons Deliveries
Narrative
The RK-2S is best treated as the 130 mm tandem-charge missile inside a wider Luch launcher ecosystem rather than as a separately reported battlefield object in every incident. Luch's SKIF product material lists RK-2S in the 130 mm missile set for the man-portable system, alongside RK-2OF, RK-2M-K, and RK-2M-OF missiles, and describes laser-beam guidance with manual or automatic target tracking.
That launcher-family context matters for the war record. Ukrainian reports and Western analysis often identify Stugna-P, Skif, or Bar'er rather than naming the expended missile round. The strongest source-backed reading is that Ukrainian forces used RK-2S-capable Stugna-P/Skif/Bar'er systems for anti-armor engagements, that RK-2S was the basic or tandem-charge missile in that family, and that at least some RK-2S Baryer missiles were supplied to Ukraine during the full-scale phase.
The public sources do not provide a complete count of RK-2S launches, confirmed expenditure by unit, or a fully separated tally between RK-2S and other compatible Luch missiles. Where sources group Bar'er, Skif, and Stugna-P together, the evidence supports Ukrainian use of the RK-2S-capable system family rather than a round-by-round identification.
Sources: Luch SKIF Product Page, National Interest Stugna-P Tank-Killer, AUSA Sagger Drill ATGM Paper, Defense Express HMMWV Stugna-P, Oryx Belgian Weapons Deliveries
