Russian warplane crashes into Mediterranean Sea

By Ahmed Ghanem

ISTANBUL (AA) - A Russian MiG-29 warplane has crashed into the Mediterranean Sea near the Syrian coast, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Monday.

The fighter jet went down near the Russian Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier while carrying out a training flight, according to the statement published by the state-owned Russia Today.

"The pilot has successfully jumped by parachute," it said.

"The ill-fated fighter jet was among a training squadron consisting of three aircraft," it added.

Russia launched its military intervention in Syria in September 2015 supposedly after a formal request by the Bashar al-Assad regime for military help.

In March, Russia decided to reduce its forces in the war-torn country.

Syria has been wrecked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests -- which erupted as part of the "Arab Spring" uprisings -- with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, more than 400,000 people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced across the war-battered country, according to the UN.