Russia, August 1, 2016 – The Russian Government has confirmed the death of five people aboard the Mi-8 transporter that crashed in Idlib province, Syria.
The military helicopter was shot down early today by rebels operating in Syria.
The plane was carrying three crew members and two officers, Russia’s defence ministry said, adding that the helicopter was returning from delivering humanitarian aid to the besieged city of Aleppo.
It added that the occupants died tragically trying to steer the plane to a safe place to prevent civilian casualties. The incident is seen as the worst to hit Russia since it took side with President Assad of Syria against rebels since September 2015.
Last months two Russian pilots were killed when their helicopter was shot down east of the city of Palmyra by fighters loyal to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria(ISIS).
Before then, a Russian Su-24 fighter plane was shot down by Turkey on its border with Syria, while a Russian marine sent on a mission to rescue the pilot was also killed when his helicopter was shot down.
