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Dublin: 11 °C Thursday 20 June, 2013

Russia ‘not supplying’ attack helicopters to Syria – Ministry

Hillary Clinton had said she believed that there were attack helicopters on the way from Russia to Syria – something Russia denies.

A Syrian regime supporter dangles from a helicopter as he waves Russian and Chinese flags
A Syrian regime supporter dangles from a helicopter as he waves Russian and Chinese flags
Image: AP Photo/Muzaffar Salman

RUSSIA HAS SAID that it is not making any new deliveries of attack helicopters to Syria and has only carried out repairs of helicopters sent there many years ago.

“There are no new supplies of Russian-made attack helicopters to Syria,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that “planned repairs were carried out earlier on helicopters supplied to Syria many years ago.”

Earlier this week US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had said that America had information which suggested that “there are attack helicopters on the way from Russia to Syria”.

Clinton said on Wednesday that the shipment would dramatically escalate the situation in Syria.

“There’s no doubt that the onslaught continues, the use of heavy artillery and the like,” Clinton told an audience.

- Additional reporting by Christine Bohan

- © AFP, 2012

Burnt bodies and tortured children: Amnesty finds ‘shocking’ new evidence of killings and torture in Syria >

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Comments (9 Comments)

  • Thank god for the caption under the photo. For a minute there, I thought the russians had captured superman..!!

    Reply
  • As far as Russia is concerned, this is business. If I could sell arms to make Billions every year to keep my country up to date with proper military defence systems, I would. This is the harsh reality of life and the times we are living in. Who are America to give out about supplying arms. Look at there track record of who they supplied to, and are still supplying.

    Look at every bit of conflict you see around the world, what are troops carrying? AK 47′s designed and built by Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1947 yes a Russian man. This is nothing new, they are praying for a war to sell arms, unfortunate but true…………

    Reply
    • I think its more a case of Russia wanting to retain/build its influence and power in the Middle East, which America has undermined for decades and continues to do so right up to Russia’s doorstep – the same can be said for China.

      Russia and China are also acutely aware that the shít will hit the fan if the Syrian government is overthrown and replaced by a melting pot of Islamists and mercenaries – Lebanon will probably be next.

      Reply
  • Russia is hardly an honest broker. It’s a dictatorship in all but name.

    Reply
  • Mick 15/06/12 #

    Rable rable…
    Evil Russia, Evil Assad
    Rable rable

    Send in the Marines with their Freedom bullets and Love bombs for the oppressed people in the state of Syria who demand the international community come in and bomb the s*** out of the country, aren’t they Libyans just as happy as Iraq and Afganistan now?

    Reply
  • By implying air materials are being supplied it gives the ‘good guys’ in the west the excuse to declare a no fly zone. This these allows for sorties to be flown over the chosen target, sorry country. This is followed by a freedom bombing campaign. Everyone lives happily ever after. For past success stories see libya, iraq and afghanistan.

    Reply
  • Sorry Kingstown but try and educate yourself before you comment next. I wouldn’t call the US a representative democracy. Would you?

    Reply
    • Sorry you too, but why do you “educated” anti US commentators only come to life to have a jab at the US or NATO. Not a whimper from ye during the week the Russian backed Assad was butchering (again)

      Reply

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