RUSSIAN PILOT BLOWS HIMSELF UP TO AVOID CAPTURE

Russian pilot Maj. Roman Filipov reportedly blew himself up with a grenade after his Sukhoi 25SM fighter jet was hit by a portable surface-to-air missile as he flew low over opposition-held Idlib in northwestern Syria, according to NEW YORK POST

Maj. Filipov, was forced to eject from his crashing jet within opposition's territory, out-numbered and out-gunned, he blew himself up as he shouted, "This is for our guys!" to avoid capture by extremists.

A video circulating online shows he managed to keep the plane in the air for as long as he could but was forced to bail out after one of the engines failed and his flight controls became unresponsive.

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Jihadists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an al Qaeda-linked terrorist organization shot at him after his parachute opened, but he made it to the ground and shot two of the rebels with his Stechkin pistol, the EXPRESS REPORTED.

Dramatic video circulating in social media shows the fighters ducking as the gutsy aviator then shouts, “This is for our guys!” He then pulls the grenade’s pin and blows himself up.

Major Roman Filipov, 33, was from the eastern city of Vladivostok, was posthumously nominated for the Kremlin’s highest honor, the Hero of Russia, according to the Russian daily Kommersant.
Russian President, Vladimir Putin is expected to grant the award.

“Maj. Roman Filipov fought an unequal battle with his service weapon until the last minute of his life,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

“When surrounded by the terrorists and heavily wounded, the Russian officer blew himself up with a grenade when the militants got within several dozen meters of him.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added: 

“The pilot died heroically. We are proud of our heroes.”

Russia has reportedly ordered its warplanes in Syria to fly higher to avoid being shot down by shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles, the Izvestia daily reported Monday.

Russian defense officials said planes would only fly above 16,400 feet to keep the pilots safe.

The Defense Ministry said such a policy had previously been in effect, but that the fighter jets had for some reason started flying lower in recent days, Reuters reported.

Speculations suggested Major Filipov had been captured by jihadists and separately that he had been killed in fighting.

However, a mobile phone video of Major Filipov's final/heroic moment cleared that he had exploded his grenade to take his own life rather than be captured.

Syrian and Russian forces were on ground at the scene of the incident aiming to retrieve the pilot's remains.

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