Downed Russian pilot arrives at air base after 12-hour rescue mission by Syrian army

The serviceman was one of two Russian pilots in a plane shot down by Turkish fighter jets near the border with Syria

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A video grab shows two parachutes in the sky after the Russian plane was shot down near the Turkish-Syrian border. Photo: EPA

Published: 4:15pm, 25 Nov 2015Updated: 7:03pm, 25 Nov 2015

A Russian military pilot whose plane was shot down by Turkey and crashed in Syria arrived on Wednesday at an air base in Latakia province after being rescued by a Syrian army commando unit, Syrian and Russian officials said.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told Russian news agencies that the man was rescued in a 12-hour operation which ended in the early hours on Wednesday and was now “safe and sound” at Russia’s air base in the government-controlled area in Syria.

Turkey shot down the Russian warplane on Tuesday, saying it ignored repeated warnings after crossing into its airspace from Syria. One of the two pilots was killed and captured by Syrian rebels who said they were searching for the other.

The incident inflamed tensions between Turkey and Russia, and Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of “significant consequences.”

Alpaslan Celik, a deputy commander in a Syrian Turkmen brigade, holds handles believed to be parts of a parachute of the downed Russian pilots. Photo: Reuters

A statement from the Syrian armed forces on Wednesday said a special unit carried out overnight a “qualitative” operation with the Russian forces and rescued one of the two pilots.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also confirmed a second pilot has been rescued.

In a statement carried by Syria’s official news agency Sana, the army said the Syrian and Russian forces penetrated into the areas where “terrorists” were entrenched at a depth of 4.5km and rescued the pilot. It said he was in “good health.”