(ROUGH CUT -- NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br/> <br />A Ukrainian interior ministry helicopter crashed in the country's Kirovograd region on Tuesday, killing five people according to officials.<br/> <br />The aircraft, an Mi-8 helicopter, crashed after lifting off from an aiport in Olexandria, a Kirovograd regional city, leaving three crew members and two engineers on board dead.<br/> <br />Ukraine's interior ministry is reportedly investigating the cause of the crash<br/> <br />Helicopter and plane crashes are increasingly common in former Soviet Union countries, often the fault of low maintenance standards, disregard of safety regulations and attempts to cut costs.<br/> <br />The helicopter crash happened within hours from an incident in another former Soviet republic, Kazakhstan, where a military transport plane crashed on the fourth landing attempt killing all 27 people on board.
