Major Vadym Voroshilov is a fighter pilot in the Ukrainian Army.
A Ukrainian pilot dubbed “Shahed Killer” has been hailed as a hero online after his exploits were widely reported this month.
“On Oct. 11, Major Vadym Voroshilov shot down two Russian cruise missiles in a massive missile attack. The next day, he destroyed five ‘Shahed’ drones,” said Ben, an official Ukrainian military chief. Posted on Twitter earlier this month.
“During the mission, his aircraft was damaged. He took the downed MiG-29 from a town in the Vinnytsia region and ejected it,” Ukrainian Homeland Defense Forces wrote.
The account also shared a selfie taken by the pilot during the mission with blood on his face but a thumbs up – a photo that has since been widely shared.
Sharing the photo on Dec. 6, the day of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Major Voroshilov wrote, “Let me get this straight. No one, nothing can destroy us! The Ukrainian Defense Forces not only protect us countries, they also protect the entire civilized world.”
“This is a shield that protects the western world from the tribes that leave nothing but chaos and destruction! But this protection is very expensive for the sons of Ukraine, so it needs to be understood and remembered!” he said.
Explaining why he shared the photo, the fighter pilot wrote, “In the flight video, everything is fine, the planes are flying, the rockets are firing back, but unfortunately people don’t understand what’s going on behind the scenes , so I decided to post the photo without editing.”
The post comes as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its tenth month. Missiles have been a key part of the Kremlin’s offensive, and since Oct. 10 Russia has launched nine massive airstrikes – often firing more than 70 missiles at a time – that have knocked out electricity, running water, mobile signals and heating.
Ukraine’s record for shooting down missiles ranges from about 50 percent to as high as 85 percent, with recent strikes closer to the high end, according to Reuters data based on Ukrainian data.
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