Pilot Refuses Jihadist Capture... Declares "This Is for Our Guys" Before Self-Detonating Grenade
The Russians may still be seen by many Americans as adversaries — and in many ways, they are — but when it comes to facing radical Islamic forces, the former Soviet Union and the U.S. are definitely in the same fight.
A Russian pilot just earned the eternal respect of his comrades and of every person who understands valor. While flying in an operation over Syria on Saturday, Maj. Roman Filipov’s jet was shot down, but he survived the crash long enough to send a clear and violent message to jihadists.
The Russian military “said the pilot had ejected from his Sukhoi 25SM fighter jet after being hit with a missile from a portable surface-to-air system in Idlib, Syria,” reported The Daily Mail.
“After landing, Maj. Filipov remained in radio contact with the Russian airbase in Khmeimim, Syria, and reported shooting and killing two jihadist fighters with his hand gun as they closed in on him,” continued the report.
It was a dire situation. Filipov was apparently surrounded by forces from Al-Nusra Front, a radical group linked to Al-Qaeda and fighting for the so-called “Islamic State” group.
Both the United States and the U.N. recognize Al-Nusra as a terrorist organization, and there is no doubt that it would have either executed the pilot or turned his life into a living hell as an infidel captive.
Fighting with his handgun but knowing he was surrounded, Roman Filipov made one final decision: He would go out on his own terms, and try take some of the jihadists with him.
He reportedly took a grenade, pulled the pin, and waited. What happened next was caught on camera, although we won’t show the footage here.
“Video footage filmed by the rebels themselves, sees Major Roman Filipov shouting ‘This is for our guys!’ before detonating the explosives as the fighters surround him,” stated the Mail. It wasn’t clear whether any of the terrorists were wounded.
Russia Today reported that Filipov was a veteran military pilot who had flown many missions over Syria, often being involved in both anti-terrorist flights and escort missions for humanitarian convoys.
“Russian authorities have sent their condolences to the pilot’s family. Filipov was posthumously awarded the Hero of Russia medal, the highest honorary title of the Russian Federation,” RT reported.
To say that Russia and America do not always see eye-to-eye would be an understatement. Even in the post Cold War era, the two powerful nations have clashed on both the political and military stages, with different goals in Syria and an uneasy truce in that region.
When it comes to taking out radical groups like Al-Nusra, however, politics can be put aside. No matter what flag he had on his shoulder, this pilot faced an enemy of civilization as we know it, a ruthless group that sees every infidel as a target and every country as radical Islamic territory.
Roman Filipov sent a message to his enemy: Even if you shoot me down, you will not win. That decision exemplifies the warrior ethos, and deserves our respect.
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