BEIRUT, Aug 1: Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman says all five aboard in the Russian helicopter downed in Syria have been killed.
Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Monday that "from what we know from information provided by the Defense Ministry, all those who were on the helicopter died."
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He says the Russians "died heroically because they tried to move the aircraft away so to minimize losses on the ground."
Earlier, the ministry said the helicopter had been shot down but that the fate of the three crew members and two officers was unknown.