Direct proof of use
The M242 Bushmaster appears in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through Ukrainian use of U.S.-supplied M2 Bradley fighting vehicles. The January 2023 U.S. security-assistance package listed 50 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles with TOW missiles and 250,000 rounds of 25 mm ammunition, while U.S. Transportation Command imagery later documented more than 60 Bradleys being loaded for shipment as Ukraine military aid.
Direct combat-use reporting identified Ukrainian Bradleys firing the 25 mm Bushmaster/M242 in front-line engagements. The War Zone analyzed video from Ukraine's 47th Mechanized Brigade near Stepove, Donetsk Oblast, showing Bradleys repeatedly firing 25 mm rounds at a Russian T-90M; the report identified the gun as the Bradley's M242 Bushmaster and described armor experts' assessment of the engagement.
Sources: More Than $3 Billion in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine, Bradley Convoy, Ukrainian M2 Bradley Mauling Russian T-90M
Timeline
Public evidence moves from transfer to fielding and then to documented combat use. U.S. sources announced Bradleys and 25 mm ammunition for Ukraine in January 2023, shipment imagery followed later that month, and Pentagon reporting said a Ukrainian brigade equipped with M2 Bradleys completed combined-arms training by the end of March.
By April 2023, defense reporting identified M2A2 ODS-SA Bradleys in Ukrainian imagery. Combat reporting later documented Ukrainian Bradleys damaged or abandoned during a Zaporizhzhia assault and, in January 2024, the Stepove fight in which the 25 mm Bushmaster was filmed being used at close range against a Russian T-90M.
Sources: More Than $3 Billion in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine, Bradley Convoy, DOD Official Says Training for Ukrainians Is Ongoing, Bradley Fighting Vehicles Have Arrived In Ukraine, Russia Has Destroyed Its First Ukrainian Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Ukrainian M2 Bradley Mauling Russian T-90M
Battlefield role
In Ukrainian service the Bushmaster's role is inseparable from the Bradley platform. The gun has been documented as a direct-fire weapon for Ukrainian mechanized troops, with the Bradley providing protected mobility, sights, stabilization, and other weapons around the 25 mm cannon.
The strongest public record separates delivery from use. U.S. government releases support the transfer of Bradleys, 25 mm ammunition, shipment, and training; battlefield reports and visual analysis support later Ukrainian fielding and direct-fire employment. The January 2024 Stepove engagement is the clearest public source for M242/Bushmaster use because it ties the cannon by name to Ukrainian Bradley fire in a specific location and combat event.
Sources: US-Made Bradley Fighters Prove Worth in Ukraine, Ukrainian M2 Bradley Mauling Russian T-90M, More Than $3 Billion in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine, DOD Official Says Training for Ukrainians Is Ongoing
