Major Vadym Voroshylov earned a reputation as a drone killer, shooting down five in one week – and has received a bravery award after shooting down two missiles and five Iranian suicide drones before ejecting from his plane and taking a selfie of his bloodied face.
One of the Iranian-made drones exploded, causing a head wound that sent blood running down his face – before he ejected from his MiG-29.
It was one of Iran’s drones exploding during a furious firefight with Voroshylov over Vinnytsia in west-central Ukraine that took down his jet.
Debris cut into the pilot’s cheek as he spun towards the earth, grabbing hold of the ejection handle and pulling it.
The battle in October didn’t stop him from showing a thumbs up and taking a quick selfie.
A month later, Ukrainian president Zelensky granted Voroshylov the title ‘Hero of Ukraine, Order of the Gold Star’, the country’s highest military honour.
Although Voroshylov is now one of Ukraine’s most decorated fighters, he quit flying altogether before Putin’s invasion.
‘I will say succinctly,’ he wrote alongside the photo he posted on Instagram. ‘No one and nothing can break us!’
The pilot is now back in the air having recovered from his wounds, according to Forbes.
