ANKARA, Turkey, Nov. 25 (UPI) — One of the two Russian pilots in a jet shot down by Turkey was found alive after a 12-hour rescue operation.
The pilot from the downed Russian Su-24 fighter jet was taken to a Russian airbase in Latakia, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said. The second pilot died in the incident.
The warplane was shot down and crashed in an area controlled by rebels trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a Russian ally. Turkey said it warned the Russian aircraft 10 times to move out of its airspace before firing.
“One on board was wounded when he parachuted down and [was] killed in a savage way on the ground by jihadists in the area. The other managed to escape. According to the latest information he has been picked up by the Syrian Army and should be going back to the Russian Air Force base,” Aleksandr Orlov, Russia’s ambassador in France, said.
A Russian Marine dispatched to rescue the pilots was also killed in the operation. He was aboard a helicopter sent to the contested area to find the downed pilots.
Shoigu also announced Russia will deploy its most modern air defense system, the S-400 mobile anti-aircraft designed to hit targets at long range.
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