Viral: Ukrainian Fighter Pilot’s Bloody Selfie After Heroic Flight

A Ukrainian pilot, dubbed the “Shahed Killer”, is being hailed as a hero on-line after tales of his bravery had been broadly reported this month.

“On October 11, Main Vadym Voroshilov shot down two Russian cruise missiles throughout a large missile assault. The following day, he destroyed 5 ‘Shahed’ drones,” an official Ukrainian navy deal with posted on Twitter earlier this month.

“On the mission, his airplane was broken. He took the downed MiG-29 away from a city within the Vinnytsia area and ejected,” Ukraine Territorial Protection Forces wrote.

The account additionally shared a selfie that the pilot took, face bloodied however with a thumbs up, on his mission – a picture that has since been shared broadly.

Sharing the picture on the event of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Day on December 6, Main Voroshilov had written, “Let me put it bluntly. Nobody and nothing can break us! The Defence Forces of Ukraine stand to guard not solely our state, they stand to guard the entire civilized world.”

“It’s a protect that protects the western world from the horde that leaves solely chaos and destruction behind! However this safety could be very costly for the sons of Ukraine, so it must be understood and remembered!” he mentioned.

Explaining why he was sharing the picture, the fighter jet pilot wrote, “On the video from the flights, all the things is superb, the planes are flying, the rockets are firing again, however, sadly, there isn’t a understanding of what’s occurring behind the scenes, so I made a decision to put up the picture with out modifying.”

The put up got here as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its tenth month. Missiles have been a key a part of the Kremlin’s offensive, with Russia launching 9, large-scale air assaults – often firing greater than 70 missiles at a time – since October 10, knocking out energy, operating water, cellular alerts and heating.

Ukraine’s document of downing missiles has ranged from round 50 per cent to as a lot as 85 per cent, with newer assaults coming nearer to the upper finish, in response to information company Reuters based mostly on Ukrainian knowledge.