ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two Russian pilots on board a Syrian helicopter were reportedly killed in Syria's Palmyra after the helicopter was shot down on Friday by Islamic State (ISIS) militants when they were conducting operations against the militant group in the area. “On July 8, Russian military pilot-instructors Evgeny Dolgin and Ryafagat Khabibulin were conducting a calibration flight on a Syrian Mi-25 (export version of the Mi-24) helicopter loaded with ammunition in the province of Homs,” an official statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense reads. The statement added that Dolgin and Khabibulin were on board at Damascus’ request to attack a group of ISIS militants while advancing into an area in the Palmyra area, but it did not specify the place. “The crew received a request from the Syrian command group to help defeat the advancing terrorists and fire for effect. The captain of the aircraft, Ryafagat Khabibulin, made the decision to attack.” The Ministry of Defense stated that, due to the skillful actions of the crew, the terrorists were pushed back. However, their helicopter was shot down by the militants as it was turning to head back to the base, the statement explained. “Having spent their ammunition, while turning back to the base, the helicopter was shot down by terrorists from the ground and crashed in an area controlled by the Syrian government. The crew did not survive,” Russia’s defense ministry said, adding that both pilots will posthumously receive medals for their actions. In November 2015 another two Russian pilots were killed when Turkey shot down a Russian military aircraft on the border with Syria. Friday’s incident brings the number of Russian military casualties in Syria to 10.
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