Direct proof of use
Ukraine fielded Mi-24/Mi-35 Hind-family attack helicopters during the war, including donated aircraft. The Aviationist reported in July 2022 that Czech-donated Mi-24V/Mi-35 helicopters had been delivered to Ukraine and that at least one was operating over eastern Ukraine in support of the Ukrainian Army while lobbing rockets.
Poland later publicly listed 12 Mi-24 helicopters among the aircraft it had given to the Ukrainian Air Force. TWZ also documented Ukrainian Mi-24 Hinds adapted to fire U.S.-supplied Hydra 70 mm rockets, describing the rockets being loaded into a pod on a Mi-24V Hind and noting Ukrainian Hind use of unguided rocket volleys against Russian positions.
Russian-side use is directly supported by visually documented loss records. Oryx lists Russian Mi-24P, Mi-24V/P/35M, and Mi-35M attack-helicopter losses in its aircraft-loss tracker for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Sources: Mi-24V Gunship Helicopter Donated By Czech Republic Seen In Action Over Ukraine, Poland's aid to Ukraine, Ukraine's Mi-24 Hinds Now Armed With U.S. 70mm Hydra Rockets, List Of Aircraft Losses During The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine
Narrative
The Mi-24/Mi-35 appears in the war as a legacy Soviet-designed attack helicopter used by both principal belligerents. On the Ukrainian side, the documented role centers on low-altitude fire-support sorties with unguided rockets, sustained by transfers of compatible aircraft from former Warsaw Pact inventories and later adaptation to Western rocket stocks.
The Czech-supplied helicopters were identifiable in open footage by their retained camouflage and Ukrainian markings, while Polish government reporting confirms a larger transfer of Mi-24 airframes to the Ukrainian Air Force. The Hydra integration reporting shows a further adaptation path: Ukrainian maintainers fitted a U.S. M261 rocket pod to a Mi-24V pylon so the aircraft could employ U.S.-supplied 70 mm rockets.
For Russia, the strongest open-source evidence in this record is loss documentation rather than sortie-level reporting. Oryx's tracker lists Russian Mi-24P, mixed Mi-24V/P/35M, and Mi-35M attack-helicopter losses, which directly supports Russian fielding of the Hind family in the conflict without establishing every mission profile.
Sources: Mi-24V Gunship Helicopter Donated By Czech Republic Seen In Action Over Ukraine, Poland's aid to Ukraine, Ukraine's Mi-24 Hinds Now Armed With U.S. 70mm Hydra Rockets, List Of Aircraft Losses During The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine
