A third person was injured and evacuated, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said. (Figurative)
Baku, Azerbaijan:
Azerbaijan admitted Monday that it had shot down a Russian military helicopter on its border with Armenia and apologized.
Two crew members were killed and a third injured when the helicopter was shot down in Armenia near the Azerbaijani border on Monday, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said.
“The Azerbaijani side offers an apology to the Russian side in connection with this tragic incident,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that the move was an accident and “did not target” Moscow.
The Foreign Ministry said the helicopter flew low during the hours of darkness and near the state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“Helicopters of the Russian air force had not previously been sighted in the area,” the statement added.
Baku said Azerbaijani forces decided to open fire due to rising tensions amid fighting with Armenian separatists.
She offered her condolences to the families of those killed and said she was willing to pay compensation.
The incident occurred during an increase in fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenian separatists over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated channel.)
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