Five confirmed dead after Russian helicopter shot down in Syria

[webfact]

Five confirmed dead after Russian helicopter shot down in Syria

ALEPPO: -- A Russian helicopter carrying five military personnel has been downed in Northern Syria after coming under hostile fire from the ground, killing everyone on board.

The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed in a statement that two officers and three crew members died after the Mi-8 helicopter was shot down on Monday in Syria’s Idlib province, close to Aleppo.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that its occupants had died a “heroic death” on a humanitarian mission, and that the helicopter had purposefully tried to avoid inhabited areas to limit civilian deaths.

It remains unclear as to who is responsible for the incident, although as prominent supporters of President Assad’s forces in Syria’s raging civil war, Russia is not short of rebel enemies on the ground.

Idlib plays host to the al-Qaeda faction known as the Nusra Front, as well as other anti-regime forces.

Unconfirmed gruesome images of the helicopter’s pilot being dragged from the wreckage by his ankles began to emerge shortly after it plummeted to the ground.

Russia says that the Mi-8 Helicopter had been on a humanitarian aid mission to the city of Aleppo – where the United Nations estimates some 300,000 people are trapped amid the bloodshed with dwindling food supplies and diminishing chances of escape.

The helicopter was reportedly returning to Russia’s main air base in the western province of Latakia when it was shot from the sky.

-- Euronews 2016-08-02

[craigt3365]

Humanitarian aid mission to Aleppo?  Really? 

[Credo]

Talk about a bit of propaganda, a helicopter can't carry much humanitarian aid.   

[neverdie]

Helicopters have a very poor glide ratio and tend to fall like brick.

I'm not sure the pilot would of had much say on how he impacted whatsoever.

[SOTIRIOS]

....last time it was downed by.....

[nausea]

It's feasible it was on a non- military mission,  as there "is" a Russian Reconciliation Center in Aleppo, and a Russian humanitarian initiative "is" due to start there Thursday (I think). I read that the video shows rocket  pods, so whatever the truth, that would be enough to make it a legitimate target, from an enemy combatant's viewpoint. As an irrelevant aside, the dragging by the ankles reminded me of Hector and Achilles, although perhaps not totally irrevelant, as it does illustrate the level of rage. 

[Steely Dan]

It was shot down by Arab special ops using Israeli designed weapons, which defeated Russia's best anti-missile technology. The result was the death of high ranking officers. 

[ilostmypassword]

5 minutes ago, Steely Dan said:

It was shot down by Arab special ops using Israeli designed weapons, which defeated Russia's best anti-missile technology. The result was the death of high ranking officers. 

Got a source for that?  Your previous allegations haven't panned out so well.

[Steely Dan]

48 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

Got a source for that?  Your previous allegations haven't panned out so well.

http://www.thomaswictor.com/treasure-hunt-middle-east/

 

You believe whatever makes you happy, if you have any other theories give us your source.

 

p.s there are allegations of poisoned gas being dropped on the place the helicopter flew over, various sources report.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Steely Dan
Added info

[BadBouy]

22 hours ago, Credo said:

Talk about a bit of propaganda, a helicopter can't carry much humanitarian aid.   

 

Not exactly an attack helicopter 

 

[Credo]

Not exactly a humanitarian helicopter either and the people on it weren't exactly humanitarian aide workers.

[craigt3365]

7 minutes ago, BadBouy said:

 

Not exactly an attack helicopter 

 

It is absolutely used as an attack helicopter.  And can also be used for transport.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mil_Mi-8

 

The report also says it's possible the pods were empty before departure.  Though considering the bombing campaign they've been carrying out in that area, it's doubtful.

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/01/middleeast/syria-aleppo/

 

Quote

An empty rocket pod lay next to the wreckage, raising questions about whether the helicopter was carrying aid.

 

[BadBouy]

32 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

It is absolutely used as an attack helicopter.  And can also be used for transport.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mil_Mi-8

 

The report also says it's possible the pods were empty before departure.  Though considering the bombing campaign they've been carrying out in that area, it's doubtful.

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/01/middleeast/syria-aleppo/

 

 

 

It was designed as a transport helicopter It is up armored and given some offensive/defensive capability for hot zone insertion and extraction. Carrying 5, some high ranking officers is not exactly an assault force. Assault force would run an air cap, perhaps if the humanitarian mission is large they may have been a logistical planning team. The truth is I do not know their purpose but they were fair game. CNN, I believe next to nothing the American press puts out.

  

[craigt3365]

13 minutes ago, BadBouy said:

 

It was designed as a transport helicopter It is up armored and given some offensive/defensive capability for hot zone insertion and extraction. Carrying 5, some high ranking officers is not exactly an assault force. Assault force would run an air cap, perhaps if the humanitarian mission is large they may have been a logistical planning team. The truth is I do not know their purpose but they were fair game. CNN, I believe next to nothing the American press puts out.

  

RT says basically the same thing, just leaving out pics of the empty missile pod.  Do you believe them?

 

Or, try AlJazeera?

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/syria-civil-war-russian-chopper-shot-idlib-160801100124816.html

 

Love this part from them.  Guess it came true:

Quote

"Possibly we'll see some punishment by the Russians on these people in that area - conducting or escalating an air power campaign in the area."

 

[ilostmypassword]

11 hours ago, Steely Dan said:

http://www.thomaswictor.com/treasure-hunt-middle-east/

 

You believe whatever makes you happy, if you have any other theories give us your source.

 

p.s there are allegations of poisoned gas being dropped on the place the helicopter flew over, various sources report.

You know, it's entirely possible not to theorize when you don't have enough solid information rather than drawing on any source as long as it confirms your biases.

Here's an excerpt from your source's press page. I think it gives us something of an idea of his general state of mind.

Please keep in mind that from July 5, 2013, to January 7, 2014, I was “represented” by the fraudulent agency Sandpiper Publicity, which consists of the two con artists Mike Albee and Lura Dold. During most of this period, my mother was committing slow suicide, my Website was a rolling catastrophe, and I was finishing Volumes Two and Three of the GhostsTrilogy.

If or some reason, anyone wants to read more, here's a link:

http://www.thomaswictor.com/press/

[Scott]

29 minutes ago, BadBouy said:

 

It was designed as a transport helicopter It is up armored and given some offensive/defensive capability for hot zone insertion and extraction. Carrying 5, some high ranking officers is not exactly an assault force. Assault force would run an air cap, perhaps if the humanitarian mission is large they may have been a logistical planning team. The truth is I do not know their purpose but they were fair game. CNN, I believe next to nothing the American press puts out.

  

The OP is from Euronews.