Russia confirms downing and says both pilots killed
An Mi-24 helicopter, similar to the one shot down by Isis
militants near Palmyra, Syria
A Russian
military helicopter has been shot down by Isis near Palmyra, Syria,
killing both pilots.
The
men have been named as Ryafagat Khabibulin and Yevgeny Dolgin.
The Mi-25 aircraft
was reportedly conducting a test flight in the area when it received a request
for assistance from the Syrian military, who were under attack from
group of Isis militants to the east of Palmyra.
But after
running out of ammunition, the helicopter was shot down, Russian news agency Sputnik reported.
A
statement from the defence ministry said: "The crew received a
request from the Syrian unit's command to strike the advancing fighters. The
captain, Ryafagat Khabibulin, made a decision to attack the terrorists.
"The
skillful actions of the Russian crew thwarted the terrorists' advance. When the
helicopter's ammunition was spent and it changed its course to the opposite
direction, it was shot down by terrorists from the ground and crashed in an
area controlled by the Syrian government army.
"The
helicopter's crew was killed."
The total number of Russian fatalities
in Syria is unknown. While Moscow has maintained only 10 soldiers have died,
many journalists and analysts believe the real number is greater.
Russia, allied with
the regime of Bashar al-Assad, has engaged infrequent air attacks
in Syria, purportedly againt 'terrorist' targets.
But rights groups
have criticised their air campaign and said around 2,000 civilians have also
been killed in Russian bombardments, including those on
markets, schools and hospitals.
Representative
Image
Source: Independent
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