Russian pilot blew himself up to avoid capture by jihadists

Russian fighter pilot declared hero for detonating grenade in order to avoid capture when his plane was shot out of the sky

Roman Filipov died a hero.

His Sukhoi-25 ground-attack aircraft was shot down over rebel-held Idlib province.  Even though he survived the attack and ejected, he died in a ground fight.



It was reported that he informed his superiors he had been hit by a missile, before ejecting himself from the plane.

Russia's defence ministry's controlled TV Zvezda stated the pilot was posthumously presented with the Hero of Russia medal, also known as the Gold Star.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a former al-Qaeda affiliate has claimed responsibility for bringing down Filipov's plane.