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Russian Fighter Jet Crashes Near Syria
A Russian fighter jet has crashed on a training mission near Syria's shores, as it tried to land on the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier.
The country's Defence Ministry said the pilot bailed out safely, however, and that the crash of the MiG-29K fighter will not affect the operations of the carrier. It said in a statement:
"The Russian aircraft carrier group is continuing its operations in the Mediterranean in accordance with plan. Flights of carrier-borne aircraft are continuing."
The jet's pilot was quickly rescued and suffered no injuries, the ministry added.
It said that the jet crashed a few kilometres away from the carrier due to a technical problem while on its way to land, but did not elaborate.
The carrier and escorting ships arrived in the eastern Mediterranean Sea earlier this month. Pilots of the carrier-borne fighters have been conducting flights over Syria to survey the area.
NATO has expressed concern about the Russian carrier group's deployment, saying the move could foreshadow an increase in the number of Russian air raids in Syria - particularly around the besieged city of Aleppo.
Cover photo a library image of a MiG-29K jet landing on an aircraft carrier.
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