Chechens down Russian helicopter

MOSCOW, Russia -- A Russian military helicopter has been shot down in Chechnya, killing one person.

The Mi-24 aircraft was fired on by a grenade launcher near the village of Tsa-Vedeno, southeast of the Chechen capital Grozny on Wednesday, CNN confirmed from Russian officials on Thursday.

Russian authorities had previously said that the helicopter had unaccountably crashed, and that it was to launch an investigation.

The southern Vedeno region has seen increased violence recently.

In a separate incident Chechen rebels killed a pro-Moscow local official on Wednesday and shelled a police station in the Vedeno area, reports said.

Raibek Tevzayev, a deputy military administrator for the southern Vedeno region, was shot dead by militants in the village of Pervomaiskoye, the Interfax news agency quoted local officials as saying.