MOSCOW. July 30 (Interfax-AVN) - The release of the crew of the MI-26 Halo helicopter is an indication of the seriousness with which Sudan's leadership has received the persistent appeals from the Russian side, a Tuesday Russian Foreign Ministry statement says.
"Moscow hopes that such incidents will not occur in our relations again," it says.
The crew of the helicopter owned by the Vertikal-T company was detained on July 21 in El Fasher, Sudan, and released on Tuesday evening. The Foreign Ministry confirmed that the crewmembers are presently at the Russian embassy in Khartoum.
"The Russian pilots are at the Russian embassy in Khartoum. They feel well and will return home shortly. The helicopter will also leave Sudan after the arrival of another Russian crew," the ministry statement says.