November 9th A Russian Mi-24 helicopter crashed on the Asian side of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the 9th, killing two crew members and injuring one. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan admitted that the helicopter was mistakenly hit by the Azerbaijani military.
The Armenian News Agency quoted the country’s Ministry of Emergency Situations that day that the helicopter crashed in a valley in western Armenia near the border with Azerbaijan.
According to Russian media reports, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that a Russian Mi-24 helicopter was shot down by a portable air defense missile on the Asian side of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Two crew members were killed and one person was injured.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan issued a statement on the same day, acknowledging the shooting down of a Russian helicopter, stating that this was an accident and apologizing to Russia for this.
The statement stated that the helicopter was flying near the border between Armenia and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan. Due to the darkness, the helicopter flew at a low altitude and was beyond the detection range of the air defense radar, and was shot down by the Afghan army.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan stated that this was an accident and was not directed at Russia. Azerbaijan expressed condolences to the families of the victims and was willing to pay appropriate compensation.
