Russia confirms 5 people on board Mi8 helicopter shot down in Syria have died

The Kremlin expresses its deepest condolences to the relatives of the Russian servicemen killed in the attack on a Russian Mi-8 helicopter in Syria's Idlib province, Dmitry Peskov, the Russian president's press secretary, said.

Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the Russian president, sent condolences to the relatives of the crashed Mi8 helicopter.

"You have also heard very sad news coming from Syria, where our helicopter was shot down. It was a helicopter that was on a humanitarian mission. According to the Defense Ministry, the people on board the helicopter died heroically, because they tried to get the helicopter away to minimize casualties on the ground," Peskov told reporters.

"The Kremlin expresses its deepest condolences to all the relatives of our fallen soldiers," Peskov said.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that a Russian Air Force Mi8 helicopter was shot down on August 1 in Syria's Idlib province, with three crew members and two officers of the Russian Reconciliation Center on board.

According to Sputnik\