A RUSSIAN pilot who ejected from his fighter jet after it was shot down in northwestern Syria has been killed after landing alive on the ground, according to a Syrian human rights monitoring group.

“Rebel factions shot down a Sukhoi 25,” confirmed Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

“The Russian pilot came down in a parachute, before being captured,” confirmed Mr Rahman.

He could not immediately confirm which faction had downed the plane but hard line opposition groups and the jihadist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham are active in Idlib.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

A Syrian militant in the area told the Associated Press that the Russian pilot was shot and killed when he resisted capture by opening fire from his pistol on the militants who tried to capture him alive.

Moscow has not confirmed the downing of its plane or the killing of a pilot.

The militant refused to be identified by his real name because was not authorised to speak to the media.

Video of the jet being shot down has been posted online.

Syrian troops launched a fierce offensive on Idlib in late December, with backing by Russian warplanes.

Opposition factions have shot at Syrian regime planes in the past, but downing Russian warplanes is much rarer. </s> The Russian Ministry of Defense has released footage showing a precision strike against terrorists in the northwest Syria province of Idlib, following the downing of an Su-25 jet. The pilot, Roman Nikolaevich Filippov safely ejected - only to be killed by militants on the ground, according to the Ministry.

Earlier, Ebaa Agency released a video of the moment the Russian Su-25SM was shot down by MANPADS over Saraqib, in Idlib. According to Ebaa, the AlQaeda affiliated Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) backed by Qatar, was responsible. The MANPADS was probably an FN-6 delivered through Turkey, the agency speculated.

Russia promptly responded: The aerial night-vision footage shows a barrage of cruise missiles hitting ground targets, which are believed to have killed around 30 terrorists.

More footage reveals a heavy cluster bomb attack on the village of Maasaran, near the site of the downed Su-25:

As we reported earlier, the Su-25 warplane was the first Russian fighter jet downed above Syria since 2015. A Russian defense ministry official confirmed the plane was shot down, stating "The plane was flying around the de-escalation zone of Idlib."

The extremist group Tahrir al-Sham has claimed responsibility for the downing of the Ruissian Su-25, according to Reuters - while another militant group, Jaysh al-Nasr, took credit as well - posting pictures and videos celebrating the downed aircraft to its twitter account.

The group posted a video with an unknown date containing footage of a 23mm Anti-Aircraft gun ostensibly used to shoot down the Russian jet. </s> MOSCOW — A Russian fighter jet was shot down in a rebel-controlled area of Idlib Province in northern Syria on Saturday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said, adding that the pilot survived the initial attack by parachuting from the plane but was killed by members of a militia on the ground.

The downing of the jet occurred in one of the country’s so-called de-escalation zones established last year by Russia, Iran and Turkey, in an attempt to lessen the bloodshed in Syria’s long civil war.

The Russian Su-25 warplane was patrolling the Idlib area when it was struck by a missile, launched from an area controlled by rebels, the ministry said in a statement. The pilot has yet to be identified.

The rebel-held area where the plane was shot down, in the northwest of Idlib Province, is controlled by several different rebel factions, including the Free Syria Army, Islamist groups and Tahrir al-Sham, an Al Qaeda-affiliated alliance.

Videos taken at the scenes of the crash and released by local activists showed flames billowing from the crumpled debris of a plane, clearly identifiable as an Su-25, and showed the red star symbol used by the Russian Air Force.

Moaz al-Shami, a media activist who lives in Idlib Province and who regularly posts video footage from the area, appears in one of the videos and describes the fighters who downed the plane as “heroes,” avenging civilians killed in airstrikes by Russian jets.

Since President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia first ordered his forces to Syria, Russia has lost four warplanes, four helicopters and about 50 servicemen in the conflict.

In a later statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said that it used high-precision weapons to kill more than 30 rebel forces in the area where the attack on the Russian aircraft was launched. Russian authorities, along with Turkish forces who are responsible for the de-escalation zone, are working to retrieve the pilot’s body.

In December, Mr. Putin ordered the withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria, declaring their mission completed. However, some Russian warplanes have stayed at the Hmeimim air base, which became Russia’s permanent air force facility in Syria.

In Moscow, Russian lawmakers promised a thorough investigation of the crash.

“Politically, this is very important and will have far-reaching consequences,” Franz Klintsevich, a member of the Russian Federation Council told Interfax, a Russian news agency.

Others blamed the United States for supplying Syrian rebels with weapons capable of shooting down the warplane.

“We have warned that the Americans will deliver such equipment, and they cannot control it later,” Aleksei Chepa, a member of the State Duma, told Interfax, adding that concerns had been expressed before that the weapons could bring down military and civilian planes. </s> In a retaliatory move, massive Russian air strikes have killed at least 30 militants in Syria, where a Russian fighter jet was shot down, an official said on Sunday. “A series of high-precision weapon strikes have been delivered in the area controlled by the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group, which brought down the Russian Su-25 jet by using a portable anti-aircraft missile system in the Syrian province Idlib,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said. “According to radio intercepts, more than 30 Jabhat al-Nusra militants were killed,” Xinhua quoted the ministry as saying.

Earlier on Saturday, the ministry said a pilot survived the fighter jet crash but was later killed in a ground fight with terrorists. The pilot had reported earlier that he ejected by parachute in the area, controlled by Jabhat al-Nusra militants. In May 2017, the guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire — Russia, Iran and Turkey — agreed to set up the Syrian de-escalation zones in Syria, which includes Idlib province. A Russian pilot has been killed after his plane was shot down by militants in the Syrian province of Idlib, the Russian Defence Ministry has said.

“A Russian Su-25 aircraft crashed during a flight over the Idlib de-escalation area,” the ministry said in the statement on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported. “The pilot died in a fight with the terrorists,” the statement said, adding that preliminary information showed that the plane was downed by use of a man-portable anti-aircraft missile system. “The Russian centre for the reconciliation of opposing sides in Syria and the Turkish side overseeing the Idlib de-escalation area are working to bring the Russian pilot’s body home,” it said. The pilot had reported earlier that he ejected by parachute in the area, controlled by Nusra Front militants. </s> A Russian Su-25 jet has crashed in Idlib province in north-western Syria, the Russian Defence Ministry confirmed, adding that it was probably shot down by MANPAD. The pilot ejected but was killed by militants on the ground.

Preliminary data showed the Su-25 plane was downed by a man-portable air-defense system (MANPAD), the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The attack took place when the jet was flying over the Idlib de-escalation zone on Saturday. The pilot parachuted down into the area controlled by Al-Nusra terrorist group, the statement said. He was killed during a confrontation with the militants from an unspecified group.

Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria together with Turkey which is also responsible for the Idlib de-escalation zone is now trying to retrieve the body of the Russian pilot, the Defense Ministry confirmed.

Tahrir al-Sham, the extremist group linked to Al-Nusra terrorists, has claimed responsibility for the downing of the Russian aircraft, according to Reuters.

Earlier, another militant group, Jaysh al-Nasr, which claims affiliation to the Free Syrian Army, also posted videos and statements about the Russian plane on its Twitter account. It said the jet was shot down by some air defense systems.

In July 2016, two pilots were killed when a Russian military helicopter was downed by Islamic State militants near Palmyra. They had been attacking advancing terrorists at Damascus’ request when it was shot down.

The Russian air campaign supporting anti-terrorist efforts by Syrian authorities lasted from September 2015 to December 2017. In mid-December, President Vladimir Putin visited the Khmeimim Airbase to announce the withdrawal of most of the Russian troop contingent from the country.

Moscow played a vital role in the defeat of Islamic State (IS, formerly known as ISIS) terrorist group in Syria, as well as other jihadist groups, including Al-Nusra. Around 60,000 fighters were eliminated during the campaign, according to the defense ministry. </s> CLOSE

A picture taken on Feb. 3, 2018, shows smoke billowing from the site of a downed Sukhoi-25 fighter jet in the the Syrian city of Saraqib, southwest of Aleppo. (Photo: Omar Haj Kadour, AFP/Getty Images)

Russian cruise-missile attacks killed more than two dozen Syrian rebels Saturday in northwest Syria after the pilot of a downed Russian fighter jet, who had parachuted to safety, was killed on the ground, according to Russian and Western media reports.

Russia's Interfax news agency quotes the Russian defense ministry as saying radio intelligence determined that more than 30 Al-Nusra fighters were killed in strikes by "precision-guided weapons."

The Russian military has been attacking rebels with Kalibr precision-guided cruise missiles fired by frigates and submarines attached to its Navy's task force in the Mediterranean, according to Interfax.

The latest incident comes as Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air support and Iranian arms, have intensified their offensive into Idlib. The northwest province is one of the last rebel-held bastions in Syria. It is also host to several Islamist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda.

The ministry said its Su-25 jet crashed after apparently being shot down by a hand-carried, ground-to-air missile. The pilot ejected safely, but was killed by militants on the ground, the ministry said, according to the state-owned TASS news agency.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has extensive contacts inside Syria, also said the pilot was killed after landing alive.

A Syrian militant in the area told The Associated Press that the Russian pilot was shot and killed when he resisted capture by opening fire with a pistol on the militants who tried to capture him. The militant refused to be identified by his real name because was not authorized to speak to the media.

A video circulating on social media shows a dead man with a bloodied face as bearded gunmen stood around him. One of them shouts: “He is Russian.”

The authenticity of the video could not be independently confirmed but it corresponds to events reported by the AP.

No group immediately claimed responsibility.

There have been dozens of Russian airstrikes in the area of Idlib province over the past 24 hours," according to Rami Abdel Rahman, who runs the monitoring group. "This plane was also carrying out raids there."

The Syrian regime launched its offensive against Idlib from the south and east in December last year.

Last month the Syrian army retook the strategic Abu Dhuhur airbase from insurgents in Idlib.

According to Jan Egeland, who heads the United Nations' task force on humanitarian aid for Syria, almost a quarter of a million people have been displaced into or from Idlib since the latest onslaught began less than two months ago.

Contributing: Associated Press

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2GKOeV0 </s> Terrorist group Tahrir al-Sham, linked to former terrorist Al Qaeda branch in Syria, claims responsibility for shooting down Russian combat jet SU-25 with shoulder-launched anti-aircraft Projectile.

Tahrir al-Sham released a post on social media quoting a commander in charge of its air raids as saying one of its militants had hit Russian SU-25 during an "air raid" over the city of Saraqeb in the northwestern province of Idlib.

Earlier on in the day, Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that dozens of terrorists were killed as a result of a powerful high precision strike targeting Syria's province of Idlib where Russian SU-25 aircraft was downed.

Russian Su-25 attack aircraft was downed in the Syrian northwestern province of Idlib on Saturday.

"When patrolling the Idlib de-escalation zone, a Russian Su-25 aircraft crashed… According to the preliminary information, the jet was shot down from a man-portable air-defense system," Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding that the pilot was killed.

It is noted that the pilot reported that he managed to eject from his plane and landed in an area controlled by Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group.

"The pilot was killed during a fight with terrorists," the Russian ministry said.

Terrorist group Tahrir al-Sham includes the terrorist group formerly known as the Nusra Front, which served as al Qaeda's Syrian branch, also a terrorist organization. </s> The pilot survived the crash, but was killed during a fight with terrorists

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the country's air forces conducted a group strike of the area controlled by Jabhat Fatah al-Sham militants in Idlib, from where a projectile was fired downing Russian Su-25 aircraft.The Russian Ministry of Defense revealed the preliminary information on the incident, saying that"The plane was flying over the Idlib de-escalation zone," the military stated.The Defense Ministry revealed that according to preliminary information as to the possible cause of the downing, the plane may have been shot down by a man-portable air-defense system (MANPAD)."The pilot reported on a bailout in an area controlled by rebels Jabhat Fatah al-Sham [previously known as al-Nusra Front]. When conducting a fight with terrorists, the pilot died," the Defense Ministry said.According to the ministry, Russia and Turkey, peace guarantor in Syria's Idlib de-escalation zone , are taking all possible efforts to return the body of the killed pilot.During the two-years long military operation in Syria, Russia lost four aircraft and four helicopters. According to Russian Defense Minister Yury Borisov, the country's air forces modernized Su-25SM ground attack aircraft are being used in Syria.The Su-25 attack aircraft is designed to destroy small-size mobile and fixed ground objects, as well as low-speed air targets.The conflict took place on the territory controlled by the Jabhat Fatah al-Sham terror group amid the ongoing military operation against them conducted by the Syrian forces.Among various terror groups operating in the area, there is also Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an umbrella terrorist group spearheaded this year by the former Al-Nusra Front. While some countries such as the United States have flagged HTS as a terrorist group, Russian officials continue to refer to the Salafist jihadist terrorist organization by its old Al-Nusra moniker. Al-Nusra was the official Syrian branch of al-Qaeda until 2016, when it ostensibly split from the world's most well-known terrorist network. </s> The Russian Defence Ministry said Moscow had retaliated with a strike from an undisclosed high-precision weapon that wipedd out more than 30 militants in an area of Idlib province where the plane was downed. Reports say Russia fired numerous missiles from both the Mediterranean Sea and its Khmeimim air base in Syria. Army bosses said radio intelligence determined that more than 30 Al-Nusra righters were killed in strikes by "precision-guided weapons". Huge explosions have now been reported in a number of coastal areas, as well as Idlib, where the jet was shot down.

Syrian rebels shot down Russian warplane Su-25 and killed its pilot on the ground after he ejected from the plane. The SU-25 came down in an area of Syria's northern Idlib province that has seen heavy air strikes and fighting on the ground between government forces backed by Russia and Iran, and rebels who oppose President Bashar al-Assad. Syrians opposed to Assad see Russia as an invading force they blame for the deaths of thousands of civilians since Moscow joined the war on the side of the Syrian government in 2015. The Russian plane was shot down over the town of Khan al-Subl near the city of Saraqeb, close to a major highway where the Syrian army and Iranian-backed militias are trying to advance, a rebel source said. Although the Russian pilot escaped the crash, he was killed by rebels who had tried to capture him, the source said.

Tharir al-Sham, a jihadist group spearheaded by the former Syrian branch of al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for shooting down the plane, saying one of its fighters had scored a direct hit with a shoulder launched anti-aircraft missile. Senior commander Mahmoud Turkomani said in a statement released by the group, said: "This work is the least we can do to revenge our people. Let the criminal invaders know that our skies are not a picnic and they will not pass through without paying a price God willing." Russia's Defence Ministry also said that the aircraft was downed by a portable surface-to-air missile. The pilot reported that he had ejected by parachute, and he was later killed on the ground. It said: "The pilot died in a fight with terrorists."
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that unidentified rebel factions have shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-25 jet over the Idlib Governorate, near Maarrat al-Nu'man, also killing its pilot. The pilot had escaped with his parachute but was killed on the ground while he fought with a pistol to evade capture. No groups claim responsibility. Russia's Ministry of Defence corroborates this version of events.