A Russian fighter jet has crashed after taking off from an aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean.
Russia's Defence Ministry said the fighter jet was a MiG-29 based on the Admiral Kuznetsov, which is currently near Syria.
The jet crashed due to a technical problem, according to the ministry, which said the pilot had ejected safely and was picked up by a rescue team. It also reported that the plane has been recovered.
The Admiral Kuznetsov arrived off the coast of Syria a week ago after sailing down past the east coast of England and through the Strait of Gibraltar. It was tracked en route by NATO warships.
Defence analysts warned of a potential crash because the jets on board were not carrying out enough flying missions as they made their way to the eastern Mediterranean.
The Kuznetsov rarely leaves port so the pilots would be inexperienced taking off and landing on a carrier - one of the trickiest and most dangerous flying manoeuvres.
Moscow insisted flying operations would continue and the remaining jets on board would carry out missions over Syria, although the predicted, fierce assault of Aleppo has not started.
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