A Russian Mi-35 had to make an emergency landing today in Kasaka province in northern Syria, for technical reasons.

"The crew was quickly evacuated to the airport. There is no threat to the lives of the pilots," the RIA news agency quoted the Russian Defense Ministry as saying, adding that the helicopter was not

Syrian state media previously reported that a Russian helicopter crashed in Hasaka province, near Tal Tamr, killing the pilot.

Russia is the most powerful ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's administration and has helped Ankara turn the tide in the country's civil war by reclaiming most of its territory from the rebels since 2015.

Russia deployed its army in Syria in September 2015 following the suggestion of President Assad.

The Russian military campaign and the Syrian army defeated the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) terrorist group and drove Muslim rebel groups to Idlib province, northwest Syria, where the Russian army teamed up with Turkey.