Russian forces in Chechnya announced that an Mi-24 helicopter was shot down by enemy fire near Nozhai-Yurt on 31 August, Russian news agencies reported. Both crewmembers were killed. On 18 August, an Mi-26 military transport helicopter was shot down by a shoulder-launched missile, killing 119 people. The latest loss was the 36th military helicopter lost since the beginning of the second Chechnya campaign in September 1999. Although the Chechen fighters have virtually no air-defense weapons, Russia has been losing about one helicopter per month. (strana.ru)