Putin's comments appeared to confirm a statement from the Syrian armed forces that said a special unit carried out a "qualitative" operation with Russian forces overnight. The statement said Syrian and Russian forces penetrated into the areas where "terrorists" are entrenched at a depth of 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) and rescued the pilot. It said he is in "good health."
Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told local news agencies that the pilot was rescued in a 12-hour operation which ended earlier Wednesday. Shoigu said the airman is now "safe and sound" at Russia’s air base in Syria.
