The pilot of a Russian warplane that was shot down in Syria over the weekend killed himself with a grenade rather than be captured, the Russian defence ministry says.
The pilot, Major Roman Filippov, ejected from the jet under heavy fire in an insurgent-held area, was surrounded and "engaged in an unequal fight with the militants", the ministry said in a statement on Monday.
"Severely wounded, when the distance from the militants was only several dozen metres, the officer blew himself up with a grenade," the statement said. "His death is a heavy loss for the Russian air force.
"For courage and heroism, the Russian Defence Ministry has presented Roman Filippov the title of Hero of the Russian Federation," the statement said.
The Su-25 attack aircraft was shot down on Saturday in a rebel stronghold in Syria's north-western Idlib province.
Russian Su-25s have been conducting air strikes on insurgent targets as part of military support for Syria's government, a longtime ally.
The Russian warplane was most likely hit in its right engine with a heat-seeking missile shot from a hand-held launcher, a senior Russian official said.
To be targeted by a man-portable air-defence system, also known as MANPADS, the jet must have been flying relatively close to the ground.
The weapon could have been a Soviet-designed Strela or an American Stinger, the head of a parliamentary committee on defence issues, Vladimir Shamanov, said in comments carried by the Interfax news agency.
In recent weeks, Syrian government forces backed by Russian air power have intensified attacks in Idlib, the last remaining rebel province in Syria.
