Russian marine dies in search-and-rescue effort for pilots near Turkish border

A Russian Mil Mi-8 helicopter was destroyed today in Syrian territory controlled by armed militants, claiming the life of a Russian marine. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the helicopter was part of a search-and-rescue effort in the area where a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft was shot down earlier today by Turkish jets.

The killed Russian marine was a contract soldier, not a conscript.

The helicopter's remaining crew were evacuated from the area and safely transferred to Russia's Khmeimim airbase in Syria.

• For more on the downing of a Russian jet by the Turkish Air Force, see Turkey kills a Russian jet: What we know about the downed Sukhoi Su-24 in Syria