The 11th Aviation Brigade of the Kherson Separate Army announced that it lost a Mi-24 helicopter with its crew during unspecified combat operations, Ukrainian media reports.
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“We regret to inform you of an irreparable loss. Our comrades – the crew of the Mi-24 helicopter – did not return from their combat mission”the brigade sent in a statement.
The 11th Brigade did not provide further details about the circumstances or date of the mission. The crew consisted of officers. Their names have not been made public.
“Only the best sons of Ukraine are able to defend the Motherland with such heroism and fight so tenaciously in the sky against the occupier. They were true patriots, worthy people and officers in the true sense of the word”the statement also states.
The Mi-24 is a Soviet-era attack and transport helicopter nicknamed the “Crocodile”, designed to provide infantry support and used in the war in Afghanistan. In 2024, Ukraine operated 45 Mi-24 helicopters.
It is the second Mi-24 helicopter that the Ukrainian army has lost in the last two months. In December, the 12th Aviation Brigade announced that the pilots of a Mi-24 plane had been killed during a combat mission.
Among those killed was Oleksandr Shemet, decorated with the Hero of Ukraine medal, who participated in the last air campaign to save the besieged Azovstal factory in Mariupol, which fell into Russian hands in the first months of the Russian invasion. His brother, Iuri, said that the tragedy took place in the Cerkasi region. According to a preliminary investigation, the helicopter collided with a Russian drone.
Despite its age, the Mi-24 continues to play a vital role on multiple fronts – attacking ground targets and regularly intercepting Russian Shahed drones during airstrikes.
