4 killed in Ukranian helicopter crash

By Ali Cura

KIEV (AA) - A Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter crashed in the city of Kremenchuk in the eastern Poltava region on Thursday, killing all four people aboard, a Ukrainian official said.

The helicopter with four crew was on a training flight when it crashed, Svetlana Rybalko, a spokeswoman for the regional office of the State Emergency Situations Service said in a press briefing.

There was no immediate explanation for the cause of the crash.

Ukraine has been wracked by conflict since March 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea after an illegal independence vote.

This led to a confict in the eastern parts of Ukraine, namely in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, between Russian-backed separatists and government forces.

Along with the UN General Assembly, the U.S., the EU, and Turkey do not recognize Crimea as Russian territory.