NEWS BRIEF A military helicopter that Russian Federation says was returning from a humanitarian mission to Aleppo was shot down Monday by Syrian rebels, killing five people on board, the Kremlin’s spokesman said.
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“As far as we know from the information that has reached the defence ministry, those on board died, they died heroically”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.
The Mi-8 helicopter was shot down by ground fire with three crew members and two officers on board as they returned to a Russian base, according to a ministry statement cited by Russian state TV.
In Aleppo, around 40 km (25 miles) north-east of the crash site, rebel groups are under siege from government forces backed by Russian air support.
The footage was seemingly taken in the first few moments after the helicopter crashed in Idlib province on Monday. The Monday downing brought the toll for Russian soldiers killed in the Syrian conflict to 18.In the most recent death, contract soldier Nikita Shevchenko was killed in a mine blast in Aleppo province while accompanying an aid convoy, the ministry said on July 22. The helicopter appears to have broken up as it crashed, its tail can be seen lying separately from the aircraft’s body in flames.
The fate of the Russian servicemen was unknown.
The helicopter had three crew members and two officers from the Russian reconciliation center.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced last week the start of a major humanitarian operation for people in Aleppo after Syrian government forces seized control of the last rebel supply routes into the east of the city.
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Opposition activists say intense fighting still ongoing in Aleppo.
