A Bust of Roman Filipov, the Russian Pilot Who Pulled a Grenade Pin Rather Than Be Captured by al-Qaeda, Unveiled

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On February 4, a monument to Russian pilot Roman Filipov, who died in a battle with terrorists in Idlib province in 2018, was unveiled at the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. The pilot’s bust was installed next to the bust of another hero – helicopter pilot Ryafagat Khabibulin, who died during the liberation of Palmyra from terrorists in 2016.

Heroic Death Of Russian Su-25 Pilot And Operation In Idlib

On February 3, militants of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) shot down a Russian Su-25 attack aircraft with a MANPAD, over the village of Khan al-Sabil in the Syrian province of Idlib. The attack aircraft was on a combat patrol, carrying out airstrikes on facilities belonging to the terrorist group in the area of Saraqib.

The warplane’s pilot, Major Roman Filipov ejected before the plane crashed. Injured and surrounded, Filipov fought with the militants on the ground. During the fight, he fired at least 40 rounds from his Stechkin automatic pistol at the enemies. Then, Filipov allowed the militants to approach him, shouted “This is for our boys!” and blew himself up using a hand grenade. This explosion likely killed or injured a few militants.

Following the incident, the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a massive strike on the area where the militants downed the warplane and where they attempted to capture its pilot. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the strike killed at least 30 militants.

With help of Turkey, Filipov’s body was handed over to Russia and was brought to the country on February 6. Major Filipov was posthumously awarded the title of the Hero of Russia, the highest honorary title of the Russian Federation.

Source: South Front