Shot down by a Man Portable Air Defense System (MANPADS) from the Benghazi arms depot?
Via Fox News:
Al Qaeda-linked militants killed a Russian pilot Saturday after shooting down his SU-25 fighter jet in a rebel-held area in Syria, Moscow said confirming reports.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the pilot was able to communicate that he had ejected from the aircraft but later “died in a fight with the terrorists.
A report on the ministry’s Zvezda TV said preliminary information indicated the plane was shot by a portable ground-to-air missile.
A Syrian militant in the area told The Associated Press that the Russian pilot was shot and killed when he resisted capture by the Al-Qaeda-linked group by opening fire from his pistol on the militants who tried to seize him alive. 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 lifeless body of a man, his face stained with blood, as bearded gunmen stand around him. One of the armed men shouts: “He is Russian.” The authenticity of the video could not be independently confirmed but it corresponded to events reported by the AP.
HT: Nat’s daughter