Lieutenant Charged in Deadly Copter Downing
Prosecutors reportedly have charged a Russian army aviation commander in connection with the downing of a helicopter in Chechnya last month that killed at least 118 people.
The Interfax news agency quoted Vladimir Samusev, chief of the military prosecutor’s investigative department, as saying that Lt. Col. A. Kudyakov was charged with violating flight rules. The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
Officials say the MI-26 transport helicopter was shot down by rebels. However, President Vladimir V. Putin has criticized military personnel for violating regulations in organizing the flight.
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