The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia has expresses its deep condolences to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the death of the pilots of the helicopter of the 102nd military base of the Russian Federation shot down on the territory of the Republic of Armenia today, Spokesperson for the Ministry Shushan Stepanyan informs.
“The Russian pilots were sadly killed while fulfilling their allied responsibilities of ensuring the security of the Republic of Armenia,” Stepanyan said.
Therefore, she added, with the consent of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the pilots will be will be posthumously presented state awards of the Republic of Armenia.
Two people were killed as a Russian Mi-24 helicopter crashed in Armenia’s Ararat province, in the gorge between the villages of Yeraskh and Paruyr Sevak and caught fire.
Azerbaijan admitted to “accidentally” shooting down the helicopter.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the error occurred due to the fact that the helicopter flew in close proximity to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, at the time active military clashes continue in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.
