'Russian pilot killed' after fighter jet shot down over Syria

Syrian rebels have shot down a warplane in the country's north-west where government forces and their allies are advancing under the cover of intense airstrikes, opposition activists said.

A Russian pilot who ejected from his fighter jet after it was shot down in Syria has been killed by militants after he landed on the ground and resisted capture by an al Qaida-linked group, Syrian monitors and a Syrian militant said.

Moscow did not confirm the downing of its plane or the killing of a pilot in Syria.