Russian helicopter crash in Eastern Syria kills two

'When carrying out a planned flight over the eastern regions of the Syrian Arab Republic, the Russian Ka-52 helicopter crashed. Both pilots were killed,' the ministry revealed in a statement.

'The cause of the incident could be a technical malfunction,' the ministry added. The bodies of the pilots were found by search and rescue crews and taken to their operating base.

The Ka-52 Alligator is an armed helicopter designed to conduct anti-ground missions and reconnaissance flights.

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