A picture taken on February 3, 2018, shows a Rebel fighter taking a picture of a downed Sukhoi-25 fighter jet in

MOSCOW, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The body of the Russian pilot who was killed in a mission in Syria on Saturday was brought back to Russia, Russia's Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

A Su-25 fighter jet was shot down by the Nusra Front militants when it overflew a de-escalation zone in the province of Idlib in northwestern Syria, and the pilot blew himself up with a grenade after being seriously wounded and surrounded by the militants, according to the ministry.

"The pilot, Major Roman Filipov, who died heroically in Syria on Feb. 3 has been brought back to Russia by the Russian military intelligence service in collaboration with our Turkish colleagues," the ministry said in a statement.

The funeral for Major Roman Filipov with military honors will be held on Thursday in the city of Voronezh, about 500 kilometers south of Moscow, the statement said.

The pilot will be awarded posthumously with the Hero of Russia title, the country's highest honorary title, the ministry said earlier.