A Russian military helicopter crashed in Moscow-annexed Crimea during a training exercise Friday killing both pilots, the defence ministry announced.
The preliminary finding was it was due to mechanical failure, the statement said.
“Today, during a scheduled training flight in the Djankoi district in Crimea, an Mi-28 helicopter crashed,” it said, adding that the helicopter had not been carrying ammunition and there had been no damage on the ground.
“The two pilots are dead,” it said.
The Mi-28 is a multi-task military helicopter capable of staging devastating attacks.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and used it as a launchpad for military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia says it has repelled several drone or missile attacks in Crimea in recent days.
In August 2022, the Djankoi military base was devastated after explosions at a munitions depot that Russia said was due to sabotage.
Ukraine said in March that an explosion there had destroyed Russian Kalibr cruise missiles, a claim denied by Moscow.
