Russia investigates case of helicopter shot down by Azerbaijan as murder

Baku/05.01.20/Turan: Russian military investigators are now considering the downing of a helicopter over Armenia on November 9 as "premeditated murder", which is a more serious charge than the previous "death by negligence", Interfax news agency reported on Monday, citing a source.

A Russian Mi-24 helicopter was shot down over Armenia near the border with a region belonging to Azerbaijan, killing two crew members and wounding one, just hours before a Moscow-brokered peace deal on Nagorno-Karabakh was reached.

At the time of the incident, fierce fighting had been raging for six weeks between Azerbaijan, which enjoys Turkey's political support, and ethnic Armenians over the mountainous region.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said that the Azerbaijani forces shot down the helicopter by accident, and expressed apologies to Moscow and expressed readiness to pay compensation.

On Monday, Interfax reported, citing a source, that a case was initially initiated about a potential violation of flight rules, which led to the death of people by negligence.

It is reported that the transition to a murder charge, which can lead to a sentence of life imprisonment for those responsible, may complicate relations between Moscow and Azerbaijan.

The conflict has tested Moscow's influence in the South Caucasus, a territory of the former Soviet Union that it considers vital to protect its southern flank, Reuters said.—0—