Russian pilot shot down in Syria took own life rather than be caught
The Russian pilot shot down in Syria has been hailed a hero in Moscow after he shouted, “This is for our guys!” before detonating a grenade while surrounded by militants on the ground. In video circulated online, Major Roman Filipov, 33, is heard crying the words in Russian as about ten armed men approach his position behind a rock. There is then a bang and smoke rises as some of the attackers fall back.
The Russian defence ministry confirmed that Major Filipov had died “fighting the terrorists” after he ejected from his Su-25 fighter jet. It said Sergei Shoigu, the defence minister, had put him forward for a posthumous Hero of Russia medal, the highest state award. “Until the last minutes of his life, he kept up an unequal fight from his service weapon,” the ministry said. “After he, badly wounded, was surrounded by the terrorists and the distance closed to a few dozen metres, the Russian officer blew himself up.”
Pictures of Major Filipov’s Stechkin pistol with three magazines, one empty and one half-empty, were earlier shared on Twitter. It was not clear if any Syrian fighters were hurt in the incident in Idlib province on Saturday. Some Russian media said two were injured.....