Remains of Russian pilot killed in downed jet leave Ankara for Moscow – Turkish military

The repatriation of the body was arranged after a military funeral service attended by the Russian ambassador and other military officials, Reuters reports.

After the bomber was hit by an air-to-air missile fired at the Russian aircraft from behind, both men on board managed to eject. The pilot Oleg Peshkov was shot dead in the air while parachuting to the ground, by machine gunfire from a group of local rebels led by a Turkish national.

Navigator Konstantin Murakhtin was able to land unharmed and was later saved by a rescue team. Murakhtin is now in hospital in Moscow, where he has reportedly been reunited with his wife.

The dead pilot Oleg Peshkov had a wife and two children.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu said on Monday that it would be difficult to prevent airspace incidents “if we continue to have two coalitions fighting in Syria.”

The Turkish PM also said Ankara does not want to escalate further conflict with Moscow over the downed Russian warplane and expressed Turkey’s readiness for dialogue “on all levels.”

The body of the Russian pilot was treated in accordance with the Orthodox Christian tradition, PM Davutoglu told journalists in Ankara.

Source Article from https://www.rt.com/news/323920-remains-pilot-downed-plane/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

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