A Russian military helicopter crashed in Armenia Monday after it was shot down by Azerbaijan, killing two crew members, an incident that could prompt the Kremlin to depart from the strict neutrality it has sought to display since the two former Soviet republics resumed a war for control of a disputed territory.
The helicopter, an Mi-24 gunship, was flying near Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan, escorting a convoy from a Russian military base in Armenia, when it came under fire, according to a statement from Russia’s Defense Ministry to Russian state news agencies.
“The Mi-24 was exposed to fire from the ground,” the Defense Ministry said. “As a result of the missile hit, the helicopter lost control and fell in a mountainous area on the territory of Armenia.”
The Azeri Foreign Ministry said in a statement that its forces mistook the Russian helicopter for an Armenian aircraft and “decided to open fire to kill.”
The Azeri government apologized to the Russian side, saying in the statement that the downing of the helicopter was a “tragic incident” and “an accident and was not directed against the Russian side.”
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