Review of times Russian military planes were shot down in Syria
(Baonghean.vn) - The shooting down of a Su-25 fighter jet that killed a pilot in Idlib on February 3 is the latest loss of the Russian military since Moscow joined the war against terrorism. Previously, many times Russian helicopters and air force attack aircraft were shot down, causing losses of human lives and equipment.
1. Su-24 attack aircraft (November 2015)
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| A Russian Su-24M aircraft takes off from the Hmeimim air base in Syria. Photo: AP |
On November 24, 2015, when a Turkish F-16 fighter launched a missile at a Russian Su-24M attack aircraft on an airstrike mission near the Syria-Türkiye border.
The attack plane hit by a missile crashed to the ground, the two pilots successfully escaped, but Major Oleg Peshkov was shot dead by pro-Ankara rebels while parachuting.
2. Attack helicopter shot down by IS (July 2016)
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| The Mi-25 was hit in the tail. Photo: Twitter. |
On July 8, 2016, a Mi-25 attack helicopter piloted by a Russian pilot was shot down by Islamic State (IS) militants near the city of Palmyra.
The Russian training crew was conducting a calibration flight of an Mi-25 helicopter for the Syrian Air Force that day when they received a request for fire support from Syrian soldiers fighting IS.
Russian pilots flying Mi-25s attacked IS positions, repelling a dangerous attack. However, the helicopter was hit by a rebel MANPAD missile and crashed into the ground, killing both pilots on board.
3. Mi-8 transport helicopter shot down (August 2016)
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| Syrian rebels around the wreckage of the Mi-8 helicopter. Photo: RT. |
On August 1, 2016, a Russian Mi-8 military transport helicopter was shot down in Syria. The aircraft crashed while carrying out a mission to deliver relief supplies to the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. The Russian General Staff confirmed that the Mi-8 helicopter was shot down by ground fire in territory controlled by members of the Al-Nusra terrorist group.
At that time, extremists carried out the attack when the Russian military helicopter was returning to Russia's Hmeimim airbase in Syria. All five people on board, including three crew members and two officers of the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria, were killed.
4. Su-25SM hit by shoulder-fired missile (February 2017)
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| Su-25 attack aircraft are specialized for ground attack missions. |
On February 3, 2017, a Su-25SM attack aircraft was shot down by Syrian opposition forces while conducting airstrikes against targets in Idlib province, northwest Syria. Pilot Roman Filipov successfully ejected, but was quickly surrounded by gunmen. After an unequal gunfight, Filipov decided to commit suicide with a grenade to avoid falling into the hands of the rebels.
The shooting down of the S-25 aircraft on February 3, 2018, which killed the pilot, brought the number of Russian soldiers killed since the start of the campaign in Syria on September 30, 2015 to 44.
In total, the Russian Air Force lost 10 aircraft, including three Su-24 attack aircraft, one Su-33, one MiG-29 fighter and five helicopters in Syria. Five other aircraft did not participate in combat but crashed due to technical faults.
