Azerbaijan has admitted mistakenly shooting down a Russian Mi-24 military helicopter over Armenia, killing two crew members and injuring a third.
In a statement, Azerbaijan apologised, offering to pay compensation.
Russia said a missile downed its Mi-24 accompanying a column of Russian troops in Armenia, where Russia has a base.
It comes amid fierce fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenian separatists for Nagorno-Karabakh. But the helicopter was not downed near those clashes.
Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said the helicopter had been flying at a low altitude during hours of darkness, and outside “the air defence radar detection zone”.
It said that “Russian Air Force helicopters have not been seen in the specified area before”.
In the context of these and other factors, “the combat crew on duty took the decision to open fire,” the statement said.