Azerbaijan's Downing of Russian Helicopter in Armenia is an Attack on Both Armenia and Russia, Says Prime Minister's Senior Advisor

The downing of a Mi-24 helicopter of the Russian Armed Forces by Azerbaijan's air defense units on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia is a clear act of aggression and an attack on both Armenia and Russia, asserted Vahagn Harutyunyan, the senior advisor to the Prime Minister, in an interview with Armenpress.

“The Republic of Azerbaijan could clearly see that the helicopter was flying over Armenian territory and it posed no danger to them. Despite this fact, they used air defense measures to shoot down the helicopter. Moreover, the helicopter that was shot down belonged to the Russian 102nd base, and an attack on helicopters and aircraft is considered an attack on that state, which is Russia. Therefore, there has been a gross violation of two international laws here,” Harutyunyan emphasized.

The Prime Minister's senior advisor also deemed it necessary to examine Turkey’s overt involvement in the attack on Armenia’s ally's helicopter since the helicopter was shot down from Nakhichevan, which is under Turkish control. “It is evident that the nature of the helicopter's flight and direction could not be interpreted as a threat by the Azerbaijani-Turkish side, and in this regard, no argument is acceptable,” Harutyunyan concluded.