Russian Defense Ministry says Mi-24 helicopter crashes off Crimea
A Russian Mi-24 helicopter crashed into the Black Sea off the coast of Crimea, Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti reported on April 10, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.
The news came hours after the Ukrainian Navy reported that a Russian Ka-27 helicopter had crashed over Crimea.
The Mi-24 allegedly crashed "while performing a scheduled flight over the Black Sea" near the western coast of the Crimean peninsula, RIA Novosti quoted a Russian Defense Ministry statement.
"The preliminary cause of the crash was an aircraft failure," the Russian Defense Ministry claimed.
RIA Novosti said that "search and rescue services are at the scene" but provided no details about whether the crew survived.
Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said that the Ka-27 helicopter apparently fell out of the air due to an explosion on board.
"We can say that the helicopter fell. We have information that this disaster was preceded by an explosion. This means that the crash did not happen simply due to technical reasons, but something happened on board," Pletenchuk said.
Earlier on April 10, Ukraine's General Staff reported that Russia had lost 325 helicopters since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukraine reportedly hits aviation training center in Russia’s Voronezh Oblast
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