NKR forces retrieve downed helicopter crew remains

November 22, 2014 - 12:21 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armed forces of the Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic launched a special operation to discover the fate of the crew members of the helicopter downed by Azerbaijan on Nov 12.

“As a result of the operation, the body of one crew member, the remains of two pilots and some helicopter wreckage were recovered,” the NKR defense army reported.

“Azeri army lost 2 soldiers in an attempt to curb the operation, with no losses on the NKR side reported,” the statement said.

Mi-24 helicopter was shot down during a training flight as part of drills held jointly by Armenia and Artsakh.

The NKR State Commission on prisoners of war, hostages and the missing persons earlier appealed to the International Committee of Red Cross mission in the NKR with regards to the fate of the crewmembers, one of whom could possibly survive the crash. However, Azerbaijan continued to keep the site under fire.

On Nov 22, the NKR President Bako Sahakyan signed a decree to decorate posthumously with the medal for courage crew members of the NKR Air Forces Mi-24 helicopter downed by Azeri armed forces - major Sergey Sahakyan, senior lieutenant Sargis Nazaryan, and lieutenant Azat Sahakyan.

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out as result of the ethnic cleansing launched by the Azeri authorities in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 (when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was proclaimed) to 1994 (when a ceasefire was sealed by Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan). Most of Nagorno Karabakh and a security zone consisting of 7 regions are now under control of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.