A Russian Su-25 fighter jet has been downed near the Idlib province in northern Syria, media reports.
Russia entered the Syrian war in 2015 with a series of airstrikes it said targeted Islamic State, a banned terrorist organization in Russia. The Kremlin’s intervention on the side of Syrian President Bashar Assad is widely seen as having turned the tide of the war in favor of the regime.
The Interfax news agency cited a Defense Ministry statement as confirming the incident. The statement said the pilot had successfully ejected but was later killed by militants. Images claiming to show the pilot's corpse widely circulated on social media.
Earlier, several media cited the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group as saying that the pilot had survived the crash and was captured.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
