Militants in Syria shot down a Russian combat helicopter on Monday amid fierce fighting around Aleppo, killing all five people on board in the deadliest single incident for the Russian military since it became embroiled in Syria’s civil war 10 months ago. The helicopter downing came as the Syrian Army, under Russian air cover, fought to repel an attempt to break the government’s siege of Aleppo, killing more than 800 militants, according to the Russian military, AP reported. The Mi-8 helicopter was shot down in Idlib province while returning to Hemeimeem air base on Syria’s coast after delivering humanitarian goods to Aleppo, the Russian Defense Ministry said. It said all three crew members and two military officers on board died. There was no immediate claim of the attack. Videos uploaded online by Syrian opposition activists showed the burning wreckage of a Russian helicopter in footage seemingly taken in the first moments after it crashed.
