The Investigative Committee charged in absentia four terrorists who in February 2018 shot down the plane of Russian pilot Roman Filipov in Syria, Svetlana Petrenko, the official representative of the agency, told reporters.
According to the IC, Ibrahim Ramadan Al-Ahmad, Mohammed Ghazi Al-Aleawiyah, Abdel Sattar Abdul Ghafoor Al-Syah and Abdel Basit Ibrahim Al-Hamud were involved in the death of Filipov. All of the defendants at the time of the attack were members of Jabhat al-Nusra (today Hayat Tahrir al-Sham), a terrorist organization whose activities are banned in Russia. The investigators will apply to the court for an arrest in absentia.
The Su-25 attack aircraft, on which Filipov flew over the Idlib de-escalation zone, was hit by a missile strike from a man-portable air defense system. The pilot tried to keep the plane in the air until the last moment. He managed to report the attack and then ejected.
On the ground, Filipov started an unequal battle with terrorists. When they got close, he killed himself with the words "This is for our guys.
Vladimir Putin awarded the pilot the title Hero of Russia. The major was buried in his native city of Voronezh. He had a wife and a four-year-old daughter.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: RF IC
Based on materials from RIA Novosti