'Irreparable loss' — Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopter crew killed in combat mission, brigade says
A Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopter crew — a pilot and a weapons officer — was killed during a combat mission, Ukraine's 12th Separate Army Aviation Brigade reported Dec. 18.
"This is an irreparable loss for our aviation, for our country, and for the families who were waiting for their loved ones at home," the brigade said in a social media post earlier today. A fundraiser has been launched to support the families of the fallen service members.
The Kyiv Independent previously interviewed the brigade as part of reporting on efforts to protect Ukraine's skies, detailing how helicopter crews fly, maneuver, and shoot down drones.
"If our country is attacked, we must defend it. We are army aviation — that's our task," the brigade said in the interview.
The 12th Separate Army Aviation Brigade, based in Novyi Kalyniv in Lviv Oblast, is the direct successor to a Soviet-era helicopter assault unit and has been actively engaged in combat operations since 2014, including Ukraine's anti-terrorist operation in Donbas. The unit has also carried out evacuations of wounded civilians.
Since 2022, the brigade has been deployed on the front lines, supporting ground forces and targeting tanks, armored vehicles, and infantry. More recently, it has taken part in air defense operations to protect Ukraine's skies.
