In the military conflict between Armenia and Azerbijan concerning Nagorno-Karabakh, at least one helicopter of the Azerbijan Air Force is said to have been shot down by the Armenian Air Force on 27 September 2020. The crew of the helicopter is said to have survived.
Images appear to show a destroyed Azerbaijan Mil Mi-8 helicopter.
Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated again on September 27 after the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan issued a special press release stating that the forces of the Azerbaijani army are launching a counter-offensive operation on the entire Nagorno-Karabakh front
“The troops of the Azerbaijani army have launched a counter-offensive operation on the entire front,” the republic’s defense ministry said.
According to a statement from the Azerbaijani military, about 12 Russian-made Osa anti-aircraft missile systems have been destroyed so far, but at the same time the Azeris have lost a combat helicopter believed to have been shot down by the Armenian military.
All of the crew of the downed helicopter survived, Armenian military officials said.
“Our response will be proportionate and the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan bears full responsibility for the situation,” the Armenian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, in response, said it had launched a military operation along the “line of contact”, a heavily mined no-man’s land that separates Armenian-backed forces from Azeri troops in the region, Russian news agencies reported.
Armenia has declared martial law and ordered its military to mobilise after a major flare-up in violence with Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Heavy fighting between the two arch-foes broke out on Sunday, as they blamed each other for the escalation that led to reports of casualties.
The two former Soviet countries have been in conflict for nearly three decades over Azerbaijan’s escape, mainly the ethno-Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh, and border clashes have intensified in recent months.
