Russian military investigators have requested Azerbaijani colleagues for help in the investigation of the criminal case into the downing of a military Mi-24 helicopter on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Interfax quotes a source familiar with the situation as saying.
“In the course of the investigation of this case, it became necessary to carry out a number of investigative actions, in particular, to clarify the identity of a number of suspects, as well as some circumstances of this incident. In this regard, a request has been sent to Azerbaijan for international legal assistance,” the source said.
He noted that only after the receipt of the relevant materials will charges be presented for the murder of Russian pilots.
He said that currently military investigators of the Investigative Committee of Russia are probing a criminal case under the article “Intentional murder of two or more persons” of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which provides for punishment of up to life imprisonment.
“In the near future, the investigation period will be extended for another two months,” the agency’s interlocutor said.
Two crewmembers were killed one was injured as the Azerbaijani side shot down the helicopter over Armenia near the border with Nakhijevan on November 9.
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 continued in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.
