Donetsk rebels claim to have shot down Ukraine army helicopter, Kyiv denies these reports

12:53, 05.08.2014 1 min read

The headquarters of the unlawful armed formations of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" reported on Tuesday that DPR air defense forces shot down the Ukrainian army's helicopter over the village of Vasylivka on August 4.

"The helicopter was brought down by militiamen during fierce fighting," it said.

"A search is currently under way for the wreckage of the helicopter in order to confirm its destruction," it said.

According to the headquarters, Vasylivka is located ten kilometers from the border with Russia.

Ukrainian army operation spokesman Oleksiy Dmytrashkivsky, for his part, has denied these claims.

"The staff of the anti-terrorist operation has no information about the shooting down of a [army] helicopter," he told Interfax-Ukraine.