Ukraine's Defense Ministry said a military helicopter has crashed in the eastern Donbas region, killing five people aboard.

The ministry said the crash happened March 26 near Kramatorsk, the headquarters of the military operation against Russia-backed separatists in the eastern part of the country.

Two crew members and three passengers died when the Mi-2 copter crashed after apparently flying into some power lines, the ministry said.

Ukrainian government forces have battled separatists in the east for nearly three years, in a war that has killed more than 9,900 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service