Russian pilot’s dramatic rescue by Syrian forces

Syrian special forces launched an operation “behind enemy lines” to rescue the surviving crew member of a Russian warplane downed by Turkey, Syria’s Al-Watan newspaper reported on Thursday.

“Eleven members of an elite unit of the Air Force intelligence service and a (Russian-language) translator, led by an officer, infiltrated 3.5 kilometres behind enemy lines in the Al-Atira region on Tuesday and recovered the airman,” the pro-government newspaper said.

Al-Atira is an area of Latakia province, around 12 kilometres from the border with Turkey.

Syrian forces launched the operation after Turkey downed the Russian jet on Tuesday morning, forcing the two-man crew to eject over rebel-held territory.

According to Al-Watan, the team set out in late morning from the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia, where Russian forces are concentrated.

The plane’s pilot had already been killed by rebel fire as he parachuted down, but a Russian drone spotted navigator Konstantin Murakhtin in hiding on the ground.

The “Russian drone communicated to Syrian special forces the navigator’s location.”