4 Dead in Ukraine Helicopter Crash

Four people died after a military helicopter crashed while carrying out an exercise in Ukraine’s western Rivne region. According to the press service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the crash occurred late at night on May 29.

On May 30, Ukrainian Land Forces confirmed on their Facebook page that all four people who were on board of the MI-8 military helicopter died. Among them were three crew members – pilot and senior lieutenant Vladyslav Popenko and two aviation technicians Vasyl Romaniuk and Pavlo Datsiuk – and the commander of the 16th Aviation brigade of the ground forces of Ukraine Ihor Mazepa.

The accident took place near the village of Sestriatyn in the Rivne region. According to preliminary reports, the contact with the aircraft was lost at 11:27 p.m. Kyiv time.

Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigations has started an investigation into the circumstances of the accident. The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has delegated the head of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ruslan Homchak to take control of the investigation.