A Russian helicopter with five people on board has been shot down in Syria while carrying humanitarian supplies to Aleppo, the country's Defence Ministry has said.
Three crew and two officers were returning to Hmeimim base in Idlib province when the helicopter was brought down by ground fire.
"On August 1, an Mi-8 transport helicopter has been shot down by ground fire in Idlib province after a delivery of humanitarian aid to the city of Aleppo.
"Three crew members and two officers from the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria were on board," the ministry said in a statement reported by RT.
The Kremlin said all five personnel had died.
"From what we know from information provided by the Defense Ministry, all those who were on the helicopter died," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.
Mr Peskov said the Russians "died heroically because they tried to move the aircraft away so to minimize losses on the ground".
Images uploaded to social media purportedly show the flaming wreckage of the helicopter along with a dead body and Russian identity documents taken from the wreckage.
In one video, a rocket pod can be seen next to the wreckage. People standing nearby are seen taking photos on their phones and shouting "Allahu Akbar," or "God is great" in Arabic.
It is currently unknown which group brought the aircraft down. Idlib province has a strong presence of fighters both for the al-Qaida branch in Syria known as the Jabhat al-Nusra and rebels.
In July, Isis shot down a military helicopter near Palmyra, killing both pilots.
Additional reporting by agencies
