A Su-25 fighter jet of the Russian Aerospace Force was shot down by militants in Syria on Saturday, the pilot ejected but was killed later by terrorists, the Russian Defense Ministry said, APA reports quoting TASS.
"On 3 February 2018, a Russian fighter jet Su-25 crashed when flying over the Idlib de-escalation zone. The pilot was able to report ejection from an area controlled by Jabhat al-Nusra militants (the terrorist group banned in Russia - TASS)," the defense ministry said. "The pilot was killed while fighting against terrorists."
"According to preliminary information, the jet was brought down with a portable anti-aircraft missile system," it added.
The Russian center for reconciliation of warring sides in Syria alongside the Turkish side, responsible for the Idlib de-escalation zone, are taking steps to retrieve the Russian pilot’s body.
20:24
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A Russian Sukhoi-25 fighter jet has been shot down in a rebel-held area near Idlib in north Syria, reports say, APA reports quoting BBC .
The pilot was said to have ejected before the crash and been captured, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.
Video posted on social media appeared to show the plane being hit, while other video showed burning wreckage on the ground, with a red star on a wing.
Russia has acted alongside its Syrian allies targeting rebels in the area.
Syrian government troops launched a major offensive around Idlib in late December, backed by Russian jets. The UN says some 100,000 civilians have been displaced.
The fate of the pilot has not yet been confirmed, nor which group shot his plane down or captured him.
Hardline rebel groups including the jihadist, al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham are active in the north-western province.
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