Ukrainian military says six servicemen killed in helicopter incident
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A Ukrainian military helicopter taking off to carry out a mission in June.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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KYIV – Six Ukrainian servicemen aboard two helicopters were killed while they were “carrying out missions” in eastern Ukraine, the military said on Wednesday.
There was no indication of what happened in the incident involving two widely used Mi-8 helicopters on Tuesday.
A military statement on Telegram said the men were “carrying out missions” in a sector of the Russian-held eastern city of Bakhmut when they died.
The news site Ukrainska Pravda said the incident occurred near Kramatorsk – a large town west of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, the theatre of much of the fighting in Russia’s 18-month invasion of its neighbour.
Ukrainska Pravda said the two helicopters were “completely destroyed” and the bodies were found at the site.
Air force spokesman Yevhen Rakita told public broadcaster Suspilne that the men aboard were officers.
He said a service for the men would take place on Thursday in the central town of Poltava but their identities were not being made public for security reasons. REUTERS
