KHANKALA, June 7 (AVN) - Chechen warlords are promising up to USD300,000 for downing a federal aircraft, a spokesman for the unified federal headquarters said on Thursday.
Extremists are reconnoitring the areas where helicopter pads are located and federal aviation is based, the spokesman told the Military News Agency.
SU-24 Fencer and SU-25 Frogfoot planes were grounded by bad weather on Wednesday. MI-24 Hind close support helicopters convoyed motorcades, patrolled main motorways seven time and hammered guerrilla installations exposed by reconnaissance in forest-covered mountains two times.
MI-8 Hip and MI-26 Halo military transport helicopters airlifted 52 people and 9t of cargo in the interests of the federal group and at the requests of local administrations. An IL-18 Coot and two AN-26 Curl planes delivered about 200 servicemen and 7t of technical cargo to Mozdok, the main federal base in the North Caucasus, and back to central Russia.