Ukrainian fighter pilot shot down, takes selfie

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After shooting down 5 drones and 2 missiles, Ukrainian fighter pilot Major Vadym Voroshylov ejected from his MiG-29 Fulcrum Fighter Bomber with a bloodied face and thumbs-up pose.

Written by Bryanna Kambonde | Edited by Jamie Goldstein

Voroshylov posted a selfie of this moment on his Instagram account on Dec 7, 2022, two days after receiving the title Hero Of Ukraine, Order of the Gold Star from the president of Ukraine. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">An award so very we deserved...<a href="https://t.co/as82SS9gSx">https://t.co/as82SS9gSx</a></p>&mdash; AussieRelFella 🇦🇺 (@RelCazlick) <a href="https://twitter.com/RelCazlick/status/1601830633189560323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The award citation read in part:

“The Defense Forces of Ukraine stand to protect not only our State, they stand to protect the whole civilized world, it is a shield that protects the Western world from the horde that leaves only chaos and destruction behind! But this protection is very expensive for the sons of Ukraine, so it needs to be understood and remembered!”

The incident happened during a month-spanning wave of attacks across Ukraine by the Russian Aerospace Forces. Karaya’s Fulcrum Fighter Bomber was damaged by debris from his targets which also caused him head and neck injuries. He directed the Fulcrum out of civilian harm before ejecting from it and posing for his selfie. 

Major Vadym Voroshylov, may have fended off some of the last missiles to be seen in the near future as Ukraine claims the Ruthe Russian missile stockpile is running low.

The infamous fighter pilot frequently flies with a Go-Pro camera and has published more footage that has gone viral in Ukraine.

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