A Russian fighter jet was shot down over a rebel-held area near the city of Idlib in northern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
The pilot was able to eject and was alive as he parachuted to the ground, but once he landed he was met with fighters, exchanged fire with them, and was killed the nonprofit reported.
The jet was a Sukhoi Su-25, a close air support aircraft designed in the 1970s. Su-25s had dropped 6,000 bombs in 1,600 sorties in Syria by March 2016, Russia TASS news agency reported.
Russia has been providing air support to the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad in his fight against rebel groups and terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda.
It is not clear which group was responsible for downing the fighter jet.
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