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| Russian chopper crash 'kills 17' | Russian chopper crash 'kills 17' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A Russian military helicopter has crashed in the troubled southern republic of Chechnya, killing 17 people on board, Russian media report. | A Russian military helicopter has crashed in the troubled southern republic of Chechnya, killing 17 people on board, Russian media report. |
| The Mi-8 helicopter was involved in a major military operation against separatist rebels at the time, Russian military sources are quoted as saying. | The Mi-8 helicopter was involved in a major military operation against separatist rebels at the time, Russian military sources are quoted as saying. |
| Reports that the helicopter was shot down have not yet been confirmed. | Reports that the helicopter was shot down have not yet been confirmed. |
| The military operation, involving paratroops, took place in a mountainous area near the southern town of Shatoi. | The military operation, involving paratroops, took place in a mountainous area near the southern town of Shatoi. |
| A senior Russian military official in the North Caucasus told Interfax news agency that 14 paratroops and three crew members died in the crash. | |
| Mi-8s have been widely used to transport troops during the long-running Chechnya conflict and are often targeted by rebels. | |
| In August 2002 an Mi-26 transport helicopter packed with troops was shot down in Chechnya, killing 127 people. | |
| It was the worst military aviation disaster since Russian forces stormed into Chechnya to crush a separatist revolt there in December 1994. A Chechen was jailed for life in 2004 for his role in the incident. | |
| Russian forces resumed large-scale military operations in Chechnya in 1999, when Vladimir Putin was prime minister, but in recent years the fighting has been less intense than before. |