Translated material
How the pilot of the downed Su-24 was saved
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed that one of the crew members shot down on the border of Turkey and Syria was saved by special units of the Russian and Syrian armies
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed that one of the crew members shot down on the border of Turkey and Syria was saved by special units of the Russian and Syrian armies
The Su-24 aircraft was attacked and shot down at 9 hours 24 minutes by local, Syrian time. Already at the beginning of the eleventh, a rescue operation began, and five Mi-8 helicopters flew into the area of the aircraft and crew catapulting. According to our sources in the military intelligence of Syria, there were only a few Syrians on board each helicopter-as conductors and translators, the remaining 7-8 people are fighters of the Marine Corps and special units of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense (the former name-GRU special forces).
Helicopters immediately flew to the area from where the radio beacons came from, which is installed on each catapult. But they were able to sit only a few kilometers from the landing site of the pilots. When landing, one of the helicopters was fired from the ground from small arms. One of the marine infantrymen died, the helicopter received damage. After landing, the helicopter was destroyed by militants, presumably from the anti-tank missile system (PTRK) BGM-71 TOW.
According to our information, the rescue and search groups managed to detect the catapulted pilot for about noon, after the ongoing nomination to the area from where the radio-butacle signal emanated. The pilot was captured by one of the bandgroups operating in this area.
Diversion and equivalent groups from all helicopters concentrated in the pilot discovery, put on a bandit group, entered into negotiations with a field commander and forced him to issue a captured pilot.
At about three o’clock in the afternoon, the pilot shot down by the Su-24 was delivered to the Khmeimim air base.
The search for the second pilot went until late in the evening, but did not give a result.