Media: 6 Ukrainian pilots killed in crashed helicopters in Donetsk Oblast

Six Ukrainian pilots died when two helicopters crashed in Donetsk Oblast on Aug. 29 under unknown circumstances, Ukrainska Pravda (UP) reported on Aug. 30, citing its sources.

The pilots belonged to the 18th Separate Army Aviation Brigade and were carrying out military tasks in the Bakhmut direction at the time of the incident, the brigade's spokesperson Yevhen Rakita told the Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne.

Two Mi-8 military helicopters were completely destroyed in the crash in Kramatorsk district. The bodies of all six soldiers were found on the spot.

Rakita clarified that the names of the pilots and circumstances of the incident are not being disclosed for security reasons, but revealed that one of the servicemen was from Poltava Oblast.

The State Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation into the incident, the Ukrainska Pravda article reported.

In another aviation tragedy, three Ukrainian pilots died on Aug. 25 when their two L-39 training jets collided. The victims included a decorated pilot well-known by his callsign Juice.

State Bureau of Investigation considering multiple versions of fatal trainer aircraft collision

The State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) is considering three versions of the fatal collision of L-39 jet trainers in Zhytomyr Oblast that caused the death of three pilots, the DBR’s communications advisor Tetiana Sapian said on Aug. 28.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek