Russian Military Helicopter Shot Down in Syria

A Russian military helicopter was shot down in Syria’s Idlib province, a rebel-held area, on Monday, killing all five people in the helicopter.

Russia’s defense ministry reported the Mi-8 helicopter was shot down after delivering aid to Aleppo as it was returning to Russia’s main air base. In a conference call with media, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “As far as we know from the information that has reached the defense ministry, those on board died, they died heroically.”

The helicopter was shot down near Saraqeb, a town in Idlib province. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the shooting on the helicopter. Islamic State fighters are not prominent in the area, but there are other Islamist rebel groups present. There are also moderate groups supported by the United States. The possibility of the helicopter having been brought down by a U.S.-supplied weapon could cause a diplomatic incident.

Since September of last year, Russia’s military has supported President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war. Rebel aid groups have claimed that Russian aircrafts are bombing the city, resulting in civilian casualties, but Russia has denied these claims.