The Russian Defense Ministry reported today an emergency landing of one of its military helicopters in the northwestern countryside of Hasakah, Syria.
The ministry issued an official statement stating: "According to the helicopter crew's report, the Russian military helicopter of the 'Mi-35' type was not subjected to any attack or gunfire." The statement added that "a technical and mechanical malfunction required the helicopter to return to the airstrip after the cancellation of the military mission assigned to it in the Hasakah province." The statement concluded that "the crew faced no danger and landed the helicopter normally in accordance with safety and emergency procedures, after which technical teams took over to investigate the malfunction that occurred." In the same context, the Russian Defense Ministry denied news circulated by the Syrian news agency "SANA" regarding the crash of a Russian helicopter west of Tel Tamr in the northwestern countryside of Hasakah and the death of the pilot. A SANA correspondent in the area reported that there were claims of the crash of a Russian helicopter between the villages of Al-Rihaniyah and Al-Qasimiya, located west of Tel Tamr in the northwestern Hasakah area, and reports about the pilot being martyred and others injured.
