MOSCOW, November 20. /TASS/. Moscow's Basmanny Court has sanctioned arrest in absentia of Syrian citizens complicit in the murder of Russian Su-24 fighter jet pilot Oleg Peshkov and Russian Marine Alexander Pozynich who took part in the 2015 operation in rescuing pilots, a source close to the investigation told TASS on Tuesday.

"In regard to Syrian citizens complicit in the death of Russian marine in Latakia and in the death of a Russian pilot, the Basmanny Court chose a preventive measure in the form of imprisonment for two months, with the term starting from the moment of their extradition or from the moment of their arrest on the territory of Russia. They are now wanted at the national and international levels," the source said without specifying the number and names of Syrian citizens in the case.

The source said that the court rulings were made in the summer and in September 2018. Investigators are working on identifying other individuals complicit in the crime.

Russian Aerospace Defense Forces' Su-24M fighter jet was downed by Turkish aircraft over Syria on 24 November 2015. The pilots managed to evacuate, but commander Oleg Peshkov was killed by the fire from land, while other pilot Konstantin Murakhtin was rescued by Russian servicemen and brought to the Russian air base in Syria. A Mi-8 helicopter was lost in the rescue operation, and Russian marine Alexander Pozynich was killed in the operation.