The Russian military says the Syrian army, relying on Russian air cover, has fended off a massive rebel attack meant to break the siege of Aleppo, killing over 800 militants.
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Images shared on social media purportedly showed a dead body and Russian identity documents taken from the crashed helicopter.
The Russian Defence Ministry said on Monday that one of its helicopters had been shot down in Idlib Province in Syria with five people on board, the Interfax news agency reported.
The Mi-8 helicopter was shot down in Idlib province while returning to the Russian air base on Syria’s coast after delivering humanitarian goods to Aleppo, says Russia’s Defense Ministry.
“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 pro-opposition television news outlet Orient News said rebels had shot down a Russian military helicopter, and that the pilot had died.
Video that appears to be taken from the crash site has been circulated widely online, although its veracity has not been confirmed by authorities.
An Mi-28N helicopter gunship crashed near Homs in April, killing both crew members, but the Russian military said there was no evidence it came under fire.
Despite persistent Western accusations that Moscow is abetting Assad in a brutal crackdown on his own people, Russian President Vladimir Putin has presented the Syrian operation as a success in the fight against Islamist terrorism. The U.N.’s special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura warned on Friday that basic supplies in eastern Aleppo could run out in three weeks.
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Opposition activists said intense fighting was still ongoing in Aleppo on Monday. The military official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
