Ukraine Deploys Mysterious Soviet-Era M-240 Mortars in Combat

Ukraine’s Armed Forces are operating several Soviet-era M-240 heavy mortars, though the origin of these weapons remains unclear.

The 3rd Separate Assault Brigade recently released video footage showing its soldiers using a 240-millimeter M-240 mortar, Defense Express reported on March 20. Ukraine’s military possesses multiple units of this artillery system.

Until now, references to the M-240 in Ukrainian service had appeared only twice on social media in 2022 and 2023, with little information about which units were using them.

For some time, analysts believed Ukraine had only a single M-240, reportedly removed from the Museum of the Second World War in Kyiv. That theory was later disproven when the original museum piece was confirmed to still be on display.

One possible explanation is that a number of these mortars were kept in storage facilities or at military educational institutions and later transferred to active units.

Another theory suggests that Romania, which is believed to have received 12 M-240 mortars from the Soviet Union in 1971, may have provided these weapons or compatible ammunition to Ukraine.

Official records are inconclusive. The Military Balance did not list M-240 mortars in Romania’s inventory as of 1990, nor did it record the presence of Soviet MiG-29 fighter jets in Romania, despite documented deliveries in the late 1980s.

The M-240 mortar, produced between 1951 and 1958, has a rate of fire of one round per minute and requires 20 to 25 minutes to deploy. It is towed at speeds up to 40 kilometers per hour and operated by a crew of 11. The system uses high-explosive mines weighing over 130 kilograms, with larger rocket-assisted shells weighing up to 228 kilograms.

Ukraine has previously sourced Soviet-era artillery ammunition from foreign stockpiles. In February 2023, Defense Express reported that Ukraine likely obtained 203-millimeter shells for its Pion self-propelled guns from Albania.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Air Force revealed new details about the combat performance of its upgraded Buk-M1 air defense system, modernized through the FrankenSAM program, which integrates Western missiles with Soviet-era launchers.