Downed helicopter in Syria. How could our helicopter pilots be shot down in Syria and why are they heroes?

The experts' assessment differs from the Ministry of Defense data. Judging by the video, it was not a Mi-25, but a MI-35M. And the car was hit not during the return, but while working on targets

Two Russian military instructor pilots died in Syria near Palmyra. This was officially confirmed the day before by the Russian Ministry of Defense; the department’s statement was quoted by the media.

“On July 8, Ryafagat Khabibullin and Evgeniy Dolgin flew on a Mi-25 helicopter in Homs province. At this time, east of Palmyra, a large detachment of ISIS militants (banned in Russia) attacked the positions of Syrian troops and began to move deeper into the area, threatening to capture the dominant heights. The crew received a request from the Syrian command of the group to defeat the advancing militants. Having used up its ammunition, when turning back, the helicopter was shot down by terrorists and crashed in an area controlled by the Syrian government army.”

The quality of the video allows us to see that the downed helicopter is most likely of the Mi-35 type - this is indicated by the landing gear, which on the thirty-fifth is not retractable, unlike its predecessors the Mi-24 and the export Mi-25.

The combat helicopter was hit in the tail boom and lost control. The helicopter fired before the hit. The video footage also shows a second helicopter of a similar type. According to Interfax, the helicopter was fired upon from an American heavy anti-tank gun. missile complex TOW.

I watched the video Chief Editor magazine "Arsenal of the Fatherland" and member of the expert council of the military-industrial commission Viktor Murakhovsky.

editor-in-chief of the magazine "Arsenal of the Fatherland"“I watched the footage. Was shot down Russian helicopter Mi-35M. But they did not return; he was shot down during an attack on targets. The presenter was shot down. They worked as a couple traditionally. As for what was shot down, I don’t think it was anti-tank. guided missile, not to her. Now what measures can be taken. There is one feature there: when close air support of troops is provided, there must be close interaction between ground forces and combat helicopters. Normal preparation and normal interaction are not observed. Generally speaking, the operation of helicopters at extremely low altitudes, at the forefront, is traditionally dangerous work. "We need to plan more carefully the combat use of helicopters and improve interaction with ground forces - with the Syrian army."

As noted by the Ministry of Defense, there were no reserve units of the Syrian troops to transport and contain the terrorist offensive in this direction. The deceased pilots have been presented with state awards. Relatives of the pilots whose helicopter was shot down in Syria will receive insurance compensation in the amount of two million three hundred thousand rubles from the Sogaz company, TASS reported.

To date, Russian authorities have officially confirmed the death of 13 military personnel during the operation in Syria, including Dolgin and Khabibullin. In March of this year, President Putin ordered the withdrawal of most Russian troops from Syria. Russian aircraft, however, continue to strike militant positions in Syria.

A Russian helicopter was shot down in Syria, killing five soldiers. According to the Ministry of Defense, the Mi-8 participated in a humanitarian mission. It is not yet clear why this helicopter came under fire and why it was carrying rockets on board

Russian Mi-8, which was shot down on Monday in Idlib province (Photo: Reuters/Pixstream)

The Mi-8 helicopter, shot down in Syria on Monday, August 1, according to the official statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense, was returning to the Khmeimim airbase “after delivery humanitarian aid in the city of Aleppo." According to the military department, the aircraft crashed “as a result of shelling from the ground.” Later, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov confirmed the information about the downed Mi-8, and also said that everyone who was in the helicopter - three crew members and two officers of the Russian reconciliation center - were killed. At the same time, Peskov clarified that there is no exact information about the number of victims.

According to the publication Gazeta.Ru, the commander of the crew of the downed Mi-8 was 33-year-old captain Roman Pavlov. Together with him, pilot-navigator Oleg Shelamov and flight engineer Alexey Shorokhov died.

Was there any protection?

Close to the Syrian opposition STEP news agency published video footage from the helicopter crash site a few hours after the accident. The publication shows the tail number of the downed helicopter - RF-95585. According to the register of Russian aircraft, this tail number is assigned to the Mi-8AMTSh helicopter. The number 212 was marked on the ship's hull.

A helicopter with the same tail number was hit in June 2016. video clip ANNA-News agency. In the video, a helicopter picks up a Syrian girl, Sidra, injured during the shelling of Aleppo.

After studying photographs of the helicopter with tail number RF-95585, a group of independent armed conflict investigators, the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT), came to the conclusion that the Vitebsk aviation personal protection system was installed on the vessel. The complex creates an electronic dome around the helicopter and protects everything that falls under this dome.

A representative of Concern Radioelectronic Technologies, which developed the complex, could not confirm the presence of Vitebsk on the Mi-8AMTSh shot down in Syria. However, according to military analyst Anton Lavrov, this complex is installed on all new modifications of the helicopter.

Despite the presence of the Vitebsk, the helicopter could have been hit by machine-gun fire or a small-caliber anti-aircraft gun, says military expert Vasily Kashin. “Even if the Mi-8AMTSh was fired from a portable anti-aircraft missile system, from which Vitebsk is protecting, the missile could have passed through,” the expert believes.

In addition, experts interviewed by RBC note that during the flight the crew turns off the protection system. “It usually works during takeoff and landing, when the helicopter is most vulnerable,” explains Lavrov.

Over the past few weeks, the number of Syrian aircraft shot down has increased, the expert notes. Lavrov claims that this is due to the supply of portable weapons to Islamists and rebels. anti-aircraft missile systems(MANPADS). The expert draws attention to the fact that in the conditions of the war in Syria, the military lacks a complete picture of what is happening. “Ambushes along the way or overflight of an enemy enemy group cannot be ruled out,” the analyst said.

Missiles

Judging by photographs published from the scene, the helicopter was carrying containers of unguided rockets (NURS). According to experts interviewed by RBC, this was necessary for the defense of the helicopter, and not for participation in attack operations.

Eyewitnesses placed in in social networks videos showing NURS containers.

According to a military pilot who wished to remain anonymous, Mi-8 crews constantly use these weapons when flying in a combat zone. “Just because he’s flying a humanitarian mission doesn’t mean he can’t defend himself,” the pilot explains.

According to Lavrov, the crew often does not remove the containers to save time. “If this is a single operation, then there is no need to remove the NURS,” explains the expert.

Humanitarian goals

The helicopter was shot down in the province Idlib , near the village Tel Sultan . The crash area is located on the route from Aleppo to Latakia, where the Russian Khmeimim airbase is located.

Head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Sergei Rudsky, The eastern border of Idlib province is under the control of a terrorist group " Jabhat al-Nusra "(banned in Russia). This is what he talks about map Ministry of Defense, demonstrated in October 2015.

“It was assumed that the helicopter, returning from a humanitarian mission, would fly along a protected route, but apparently an enemy sabotage group with MANPADS got in the way,” reflects military expert Konstantin Sivkov. In his opinion,in such conditions it is worth using attack escort helicopters, which move along the route and cover the main helicopter.

On July 28, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the start of the humanitarian operation, in which the downed Mi-8 took part. According to him, three humanitarian corridors were opened in the city for people to leave Aleppo. They promised to provide the population with hot meals and medical care.​ Three days in Aleppo 14 tons of humanitarian cargo were delivered, reported to journalists on July 30, the head of the Russian Center for the reconciliation of warring parties in Syria, Lieutenant General Sergei Chvarkov. Aleppo Governor Mohammad Marwan Elbi later confirmed that three humanitarian corridors were opened.

Despite the stated goals of the operation, Grigory Melamedov, a researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, believes that one of the tasks of the Russian and Syrian military was to prepare for the assault on Aleppo. “It was clear that sooner or later there would be a need to really storm Aleppo and fight in urban areas,” the expert says. According to him, it is difficult to fight in densely populated areas, which is why the Syrian army, with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces group, is withdrawing the civilian population from Aleppo.

Melamedov notes that the battle for the Iraqi city of Fallujah in May-June 2016 was also preceded by a humanitarian operation to remove the population.

Military analyst Igor Korotchenko, a member of the public council under the Russian Ministry of Defense, disagrees with him. According to him, the main objective of the humanitarian operation is to “minimize civilian casualties.” The expert does not deny that the exit of the civilian population will facilitate the possibility of conducting military operations in the city.

Losses in Syria

During the 306 days of Russia's military operation in Syria, which began on September 30, 2015, 14 Russian servicemen were killed. The military department reported the last victim on July 22. In Aleppo province, soldier Nikita Shevchenko was killed while accompanying a convoy of cars carrying food for local residents. An improvised explosive device went off near the car where he was.

During the Syrian operation, the Russian Aerospace Forces group lost a Su-24 aircraft shot down by a Turkish fighter, a Mi-8 helicopter shot down by a Turkoman group during a rescue operation, and a Mi-28 helicopter that crashed as a result of a crew error. The American intelligence and analytical company Stratfor also published in May photographs of four burnt Mi-24 helicopters, presumably belonging to Russian army. The Russian Ministry of Defense denied this information.

In Syria on the morning of August 1, a Russian Aerospace Forces helicopter was shot down. The Mi-8 was returning to Khmeimim airfield after successfully completing a humanitarian mission: it was for the civilians of Aleppo. In Idlib province, a car was hit by fire from the ground and fell in an area occupied by terrorists. The Russian Ministry of Defense has already confirmed that those who were on board.

Armed men quickly surround the burning wreckage in black clouds of smoke - this is a Russian Mi-8 helicopter. The frame was burned to the ground, and some parts were almost intact, such as the tail rotor blades. Shouts of "Allahu Akbar", Arabic speech and machine gun fire can be heard.

A Russian helicopter delivered humanitarian aid to Aleppo province. He was already returning back to the Khmeimim airbase when a homemade missile overtook him in the south of Idlib province. anti-aircraft complex, which have recently been used quite often in Syria by various terrorist groups.

“The helicopter was shot down from the ground over an area under the control of the armed formations of the terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra and those affiliated with it,” explained Sergei Rudskoy, head of the main operational directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

The Mi-8 is one of the most common helicopters in the world; the machine is simple and reliable. The first model took off back in 1961, but the G8 is still in service with almost all countries on the globe.

The Mi-8AMTSh, also known as the “Terminator”, and this is the modification used in Syria, this time carried out a purely civilian mission. There were five people on board: three crew members and two officers from the Russian center for reconciliation of warring parties.

“Those who were in the helicopter, according to information received from the Ministry of Defense, died. They died heroically because they tried to take the car away in order to minimize casualties on the ground. The Kremlin deeply sympathizes with all the loved ones of our fallen servicemen,” the press secretary emphasized chapters Russian state Dmitry Peskov.

Aleppo is now under siege by Syrian government troops, and inside the encirclement, in addition to militants banned in Russia, ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra, there are 200 thousand civilians. Together with official Damascus, the Russian military announced the start of a humanitarian operation: special corridors have been organized from the city through which anyone can leave besieged Aleppo. And the checkpoints, even though the mission has just begun, are already full of refugees. For many, evacuating the city is the only chance to survive.

“I knew the way and was able to escape here. They immediately gave me shelter and greeted me. The state takes care of us. I hope that the rest of my children will also be able to escape. They were caught by militants. They used me and my children as a human shield,” says the Syrian woman .

It was announced that those who want to lay down their arms can also leave the city. Eighty-two gang members have already surrendered. The militants responded to the large-scale humanitarian operation with terror.

“The terrorist units of ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra and the formations of the so-called “moderate opposition” that have joined them continue continuous attacks on units of the Syrian armed forces, both in the north of Aleppo and in the south, with the aim of encircling the city. suicide terrorists,” stated Sergei Rudskoy.

In a week, two hundred and fifty local residents were killed and nine hundred wounded. Militants are deliberately killing civilians. On August 1, they were once again fired upon from rocket systems. volley fire handicraft areas of Al-Khalidiya, Leramon, Al-Assad, Nayrab airport and Castello shopping center.

A Russian Mi-8 helicopter was shot down in Syria, returning from Aleppo to the Khmeimim airbase. A vehicle carrying five soldiers crashed in Idlib province. Since November 2015, the Russian Aerospace Forces, under various circumstances, have lost four helicopters and a Su-24 front-line bomber in Syria.

Turkish zugzwang

The first loss occurred on November 24, 2015. A pair of front-line Su-24M bombers carried out a combat mission in the province of Latakia (area of ​​the settlement of Kepir) - they bombed militant positions.

When re-approaching the target, the pair was attacked by Turkish F-16 fighters. According to Ankara, Russian planes violated Turkish airspace, according to Moscow - all this time they were over Syrian territory. One way or another, the plane RF-90932, tail number “83 white,” was shot down by an air-to-air missile.

The pilots ejected over an area controlled by militants opposed to Damascus. The crew commander, Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov, was shot by them while still in the air, and navigator Konstantin Murakhtin managed to land and escape.

A search and rescue team was sent from the Khmeimim base. Her Mi-8AMTSh helicopter was damaged by fire from the ground and made an emergency landing. Marine Alexander Pozynich died on board. The car was subsequently destroyed by militants using an anti-tank missile.

Night fall

On the night of April 12, 2016, an Mi-28N attack helicopter returning from a combat mission crashed in Homs province. Crew members - Andrei Okladnikov and Viktor Pankov, who served at the air base in Budennovsk before being sent to Syria - died.

The helicopter was not fired upon from the ground, the Defense Ministry said. An industry source suggested that the car crashed due to a collision with the ground while being piloted in difficult conditions.

Subsequently, it was reported that the crew, flying with night vision goggles, could have lost control and the vehicle collided with some kind of obstacle. Sources in the investigation commission confirmed this conclusion at the end of April 2016, citing the human factor as the reason.

“The Mi-28N pilots, flying on a dark night over a directionless area with difficult terrain, lost their correct spatial position, which resulted in the helicopter colliding with the ground,” noted a source in the commission.

The helicopter that wasn't there?

On July 8, 2016, a helicopter was shot down near Palmyra. On board were the commander of the 55th separate army aviation regiment, Colonel Ryafagat Khabibullin, and pilot-operator Lieutenant Evgeny Dolgin, both of whom died.

The official position of the Russian Ministry of Defense today is still that a Syrian Mi-25 helicopter (the export version of the Mi-24D helicopter) with a Russian crew was shot down. According to Znamenka, this happened when the car was turning back after being hit. An anonymous source in the military department, also noting that the vehicle, having used up ammunition, went on a reverse course, linked the death of the helicopter to the use of the American TOW anti-tank system by militants.

However, the published video does not confirm this version. The footage clearly shows a pair of Mi-35M attack helicopters (such machines are used by the Russian air group in Syria). They were on a combat course, and the damaged vehicle launched unguided missiles immediately before the defeat.

The hit to the tail rotor, also recorded on video, does not correspond to the picture of the use of TOW missiles. In particular, this is evidenced by the absence of a trace of the approaching missile, the limited nature of the destruction, as well as the localization of the hit. One of the realistic versions is the use of anti-aircraft artillery by militants.

Returning from Aleppo

At the end of July, the Russian military announced a large-scale humanitarian operation in the Aleppo area. The successes of the Syrian army and allied forces (including Iranian and Hazara volunteers) led to the encirclement of a large militant group in the northeastern part of Aleppo. On July 28, it was reported that three corridors were being opened from the city for civilians to exit and a separate corridor for militants who decided to lay down their arms.

On August 1, 2016, in the Syrian province of Idlib, a Mi-8AMTSh helicopter was shot down, returning to the Khmeimim airbase after delivering humanitarian aid to the city of Aleppo. Judging by numerous photographs of the wreckage published online, we are talking about the RF-95585 vehicle (tail number “212 yellow”), photographed at the 562nd Army Aviation Base in Tolmachevo (near Novosibirsk) before the start of the Syrian campaign.