[kellyhound]

Islamic State militants have downed a military helicopter near Palmyra, Syria, killing two Russian pilots on board. The helicopter had been attacking the advancing terrorists at Damascus’ request when it was taken down, according to the Russian defense ministry.

“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,” the official statement from the Ministry of Defense reads.

“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 Khabibullin, made the decision to attack.”

The Ministry of Defense stated that due to the skillful actions of the crew the terrorists were thrown back and the attack had been thwarted.

However, their helicopter was shot down by terrorists as it was turning to head back to the base.

“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 state awards for their actions.

Russia’s Interfax news agency reported, citing a source in the Russian military, that the helicopter had been downed with the aid of an American TOW antitank missile system.

“According to reports, terrorists used the American TOW system to down the helicopter, which, having exhausted its ammunition, was on the course back to the base at an extremely low altitude,” the source is quoted as saying.

Friday’s tragedy puts the number of Russian military casualties in Syria at 10.

Veteran helicopter pilot Ryafagat Khabibulin was among Russia’s most decorated and renowned military pilots. He had taken part in multiple operations in the North Caucasus over the last 25 years.

Ryafagat Khabibulin (b. 1965) graduated from Air Force school in 1988 and was stationed in Poland with the 55th combat helicopter regiment, where he trained to replace helicopter pilots taking part in the Afghanistan campaign.

In February 1989, all Soviet troops were withdrawn from the country and Khabibulin continued to train with senior officers, as some 85 percent of the pilots in his unit had served missions in Afghanistan. They taught the younger pilots the tactics and tricks of warfare in the mountains.

In 1992, Khabibulin’s helicopter squadron was redeployed back to Russia, in the southern Krasnodar region.

In autumn 1992, pilots of the 55th squadron flew missions to curb the conflict in the North Caucasus between the Ingush and the Ossetians.

The squadron then took part in putting an end to the conflict between Georgia and Abkhazia. In 1993-1994, Ryafagat Khabibulin spent the whole148 days of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict on missions.

During the 1994 campaign in Chechnya, Khabibulin's helicopter came under fire from militants. Ninety-seven bullet holes were later found in the aircraft's fuselage.

Everybody onboard was killed except the pilot, who suffered a fragmentation wound to the face and had his right thigh shot through.

Close to blacking out, in a cabin full of smoke and spilled fuel, Khabibulin managed to secure the aircraft. He spent the next eight months in hospital.

Despite serious injuries, Khabibulin stepped back into the ranks and continued service in Chechnya until 1996.

From Chechnya, Khabibulin returned to Abkhazia. He monitored the truce there, only to return to Chechnya in 1999, when Chechen militants led by Shamil Basaev attacked nearby Dagestan, thus beginning the second Chechen campaign.

By that time he was one of the most experienced military helicopter pilots in Russia. After the active phase of the operations was over, Lieutenant-Colonel Ryafagat Khabibulin was regularly deployed to Chechnya where his squadron operated from the Khankala airfield.

https://www.rt.com/news/350336-isis-...copter-killed/

[wmbondurant]

We need better relations with Russia .

[Rocknut]

Fucking 3rd world pieces of shit! Turn that dump into a glass fucking parking lot!

[Sharon]

Cunts

Every time I hear their Allah ahkbar screeching I feel really angry inside.

[mmeroyale]

Originally Posted by Sharon76 ↗

Cunts

Every time I hear their Allah ahkbar screeching I feel really angry inside.

They actually sound like screeching chickens everytime. Fucking animals

[niknik]

Fuck Russia and all their propaganda.

[niknik]

That above story is full of Russian propaganda.

They call it a tragedy . Flying your helicopter over a war zone shooting at people, and having the enemy return fire is normal. Its not a tragedy. You could say it's very sad, unfortunate, a bad day for Russia, but its not a tragedy.

I love how the emphasize the copter was out of ammo and returning to base. Like that fucking matters.

[niknik]

I see Russiasintentions in Ukraine are coming tobthe front. As they send in miles long convoys into Crimea, along with dozens of anti aircraft batteries.

Along with calling themselves "nuclear Russia ". All while they keep the propaganda machine pumping war rhetoric into its people's minds. Reading their government news you'd think war with America was imminent. As they keep threatening the west for maneuvering military assets within their own territories, while Russia takes another nations territory by force and militarizes it. Which Russia claims was wanted by Ukrainians.

Maybe we should ask all the dead Ukrainians what they think?

[Windracer]

Good job!

[rozelio]

America pulling out of Afghanistan. Our generations Vietnam. It’s clear to see the terrorists used AMERICAN TOW missile system

Sad that American and Israel has been arming and providing weapons to terrorists