On 9 November 2020, a

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

Mil Mi-24 The Mil Mi-24 (; NATO reporting name: Hind) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity transport helicopter, troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and was introduced ...

helicopter (

NATO reporting name NATO uses a system of code names, called reporting names, to denote military aircraft and other equipment used by post-Soviet states, former Warsaw Pact countries, China, and other countries. The system assists military communications by providi ...

"Hind") was shot down by the

Azerbaijani Armed Forces The Azerbaijani Armed Forces () is the military of the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. It was re-established according to the country's Law of the Armed Forces on 9 October 1991. The original Azerbaijan Democratic Republic's armed forces were ...

during the

Second Nagorno-Karabakh War The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, surrounding occupied territories. It was a major esca ...

. It was shot down near

Yeraskh Yeraskh () is a village in the Ararat Municipality of the Ararat Province of Armenia. Yeraskh is the closest Armenian village to the closed border with Azerbaijan. The settlement is adjacent to Heydarabad, Azerbaijan across the border, is bes ...

, in

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

, a few kilometers away from

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (, ) is a landlocked country, landlocked Enclave and exclave, exclave of the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. The region covers Official portal of Nakhchivan Autonomous RepublicNakhchivan Autonomous Republi ...

, as a result of fire from the ground from

man-portable air-defense system Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS or MPADS) are portable Shoulder-launched missile, shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles. They are guided missile, guided weapons and are a threat to low-flying aircraft, especially helicopters and ...

. Two of the crew members died, while another was injured as a result of the attack. Azerbaijani authorities soon issued a statement of apology, saying that the shootdown happened by mistake and offered compensation.

Events

Background

The shootdown occurred during

a war ''A War'' () is a 2015 Danish war drama film written and directed by Tobias Lindholm, and starring Pilou Asbæk, Tuva Novotny and Søren Malling. It tells the story of a Danish military company in Afghanistan that is fighting the Taliban while t ...

over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is '' de facto'' controlled by the self-proclaimed and unrecognized

Republic of Artsakh Artsakh ( ), officially the Republic of Artsakh or the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh ( ), was a breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory was internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Between 1991 and 2023, Artsakh cont ...

, which is supported by its ally,

, but is ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...

'' part of

. On 8 November 2020, the Azerbaijani forces seized control of

Shusha Shusha (, ) or Shushi () is a city in Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Situated at an altitude of 1,400–1,800 metres (4,600–5,900 ft) in the Karabakh mountains, the city was a mountain resort in the Soviet Union, Soviet ...

, after a four-day long battle over the city.

Shootdown

The shootdown took place on 9 November 2020, near

, in

, few kilometers away from

, and some from the border to

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh (, ; ) is a region in Azerbaijan, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. Part of the greater region of Karabakh, it spans the area between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik. Its ter ...

, as a result of fire from the ground from

MANPADS Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS or MPADS) are portable shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles. They are guided weapons and are a threat to low-flying aircraft, especially helicopters and also used against low-flying cruise missi ...

. The helicopter was accompanying the convoy of the

Russian 102nd Military Base The Russian 102nd Military Base (; ) is a List of Russian military bases abroad, Russian military base in Gyumri, Armenia, under the command of the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces. During the Soviet era, forces in Armenia ...

Gyumri Gyumri (, ) is an urban municipal community and the List of cities and towns in Armenia, second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th centur ...

. Soon after, Azerbaijan took responsibility for the attack, with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating that the shootdown happened by accident, expressing apologies to Russia and readiness to pay compensation. According to Azerbaijan, the Russian helicopter flew in the dark, at low altitude and outside the detection zone of the Azerbaijani air defense radars. Also, Azerbaijani authorities stated that the helicopter flew in close proximity to the

Armenia–Azerbaijan border The Armenia–Azerbaijan border (; ) is the international border between the Armenia, Republic of Armenia and the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. Estimates of the border's length vary from to . European routes European route E002, E002 and E ...

during a time of conflict and that the Russian helicopters were not previously seen in the area.

Aftermath

Investigation

Russia's military base in Armenia and

Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan The General's Prosecutor Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan () is an agency responsible for managing the criminal investigation and public prosecution in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Although the Azerbaijan constitution nominally guarantees judi ...

started an investigation on the incident. On 4 January 2021, military investigators announced that they are treating the incident as 'wilful murder," rather than the previous "death through negligence."

Ceasefire agreement

The incidence occurred the day when the ceasefire agreement was signed. According to Anton Troianovski and

Carlotta Gall Carlotta Gall is a British journalist and author. She covered Afghanistan and Pakistan for ''The New York Times'' for twelve years. She was also their Istanbul bureau chief covering Turkey, and now covers the war in Ukraine. Career Daughter of ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', this potentially gave Russia a reason to intervene in the war. However, what role, if any, the shooting down of the Mi-24 contributed to the signing of the ceasefire agreement remains unclear. Russian president Vladimir Putin delivered an

ultimatum An ; ; : ultimata or ultimatums) is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a coercion, threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance (open loop). An ultimatum is generally the ...

to the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev. According to Troianovski and Gall, in this ultimatum, Russia stated that if Azerbaijan did not cease its operations after seizing control of Shusha, it will intervene. The same night, an unknown missile hit an open area in Khyrdalan, near Baku, without causing any injuries, according to the Azerbaijani sources. Also, yet again on the same day, a video emerged on social media apparently showing Armenian forces launching a Russian-made Iskander missile into Azerbaijan. The former Head of the Military Control Service of the Armenian MoD

Movses Hakobyan Movses Hranti Hakobyan (; born 4 February 1965) is a former senior Armenian military official and the former commander of NKR Defense Army and former Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces. From 19 November 2018 until his resig ...

, before resigning from his post on 19 November 2020, confirmed the use of a Iskander missile on Azerbaijan by Armenia, though he did not say where the missile hit.

Reactions

Involved parties

Soon after the shootdown, Azerbaijan's Minister of Defence,

Zakir Hasanov Zakir Asger oghlu Hasanov (; born 6 June 1959) is an Azerbaijani politician and colonel general who has been the Ministry of Defence (Azerbaijan), Minister of Defence of Azerbaijan since 2013. Early life and education He was born on 6 June 1959 ...

, sent a letter of condolences to Russia's Minister of Defence,

Sergey Shoygu Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu; , . (born 21 May 1955) is a Russian politician and military officer who has served as Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, secretary of the Security Council of Russia, Security Council since 2024. He served ...

. Also, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that they positively assessed Azerbaijan immediately taking responsibility of the incident. Russian President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

later awarded the servicemen on the helicopter with the Order of Courage.

International

On 9 November,

CSTO The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO, ) is an intergovernmental military alliance in Eurasia consisting of six post-Soviet states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. The Collective Security Treaty ha ...

, which Russia is a member of, issued a statement, expressing its concerns over the shootdown. On 18 November, the

President of Armenia The president of Armenia () is the head of state and the guarantor of independence and territorial integrity of Armenia elected to a single seven-year term by the National Assembly of Armenia. Under Armenia's parliamentary system, the president ...

Armen Sarkissian Armen Vardani Sarkissian (; born 23 June 1952) is an Armenian politician, physicist, investor, businessman, and computer scientist who was the 4th president of Armenia from 2018 to 2022. He also was Prime Minister of Armenia from 1996 to 1997. ...

, signed a decree on awarding the Russian pilots with For Military Merit Medal. On 12 December, the Armenian government unveiled a temporary memorial plaque in

to commemorate the Russian pilots killed in the shootdown, and a prayer service was held in the area.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russian Mil Mi-24 shootdown, 2020 Military operations of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War 21st-century aircraft shootdown incidents Accidents and incidents involving military helicopters Aviation accidents and incidents in 2020 Aviation accidents and incidents in Armenia Mil Mi-24 shootdown Mil Mi-24 shootdown Mil Mi-24 shootdown Armenia–Russia relations Azerbaijan–Russia relations Aviation history of Russia Accidents and incidents involving Russian Air Force aircraft 2020 in international relations Diplomatic incidents Mil Mi-24 shootdown, 2020 November 2020 in Asia November 2020 in Europe November 2020 in Russia November 2020 in Armenia November 2020 in Azerbaijan Aircraft shootdown incidents in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict