Russian military's Mi-24 helicopter shot down in Armenia, 2 killed

The Russian Military's Mi-24 helicopter was shot down on Monday in Armenia, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said.

The incident took place near the border with Azerbaijan.

The ministry said in a statement that the Mi-24 helicopter was hit by a man-portable air defence system close to the border with Azerbaijan, whose forces are fighting Armenian-backed separatists in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The crash occurred in the evening at 18:00 local time as the helicopter was escorting a motorcade to the Russian military base. Two of the helicopter’s flight crew members were killed and one was evacuated with moderate injuries.

Russia’s military base in Armenia is investigating to determine who was responsible for the downing of the helicopter, the statement said.

(With inputs from agencies)