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DEVELOPING HISTORY
Russia says two military personnel were killed when a military helicopter shot down in Armenia near the border with Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan has said that its forces shot down a Russian helicopter near its border with Armenia by accident, and expressed its apologies to Moscow and its willingness to pay compensation.
“The Azerbaijani side offers an apology to the Russian side in connection with this tragic incident,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday, adding that the move was an accident and “did not target” Moscow.
It came shortly after Russia said one of its Mi-24 helicopters was shot down in Armenia, killing two military personnel and wounding another.
The Defense Ministry in Moscow said in a statement that the helicopter was hit by a portable air defense system and launched an investigation to determine who was responsible for the act.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said the helicopter flew at low altitude 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,” he added.
Azerbaijan said its forces decided to open fire due to rising tensions amid heavy fighting with the Armenian force.s about the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh confirmed on Monday the loss of the disputed region’s second-largest city to Azerbaijani forces.
Armenian and Azerbaijani forces have been fighting for six weeks in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenians since 1994.
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