Pilot Pictured With Bloodied Face Named 'Hero of Ukraine' by Zelensky

A Ukrainian fighter pilot who posted a photo of his bloodied face after ejecting from his plane has been named a "Hero of Ukraine" by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The prestigious award was handed to Vadym Voroshylov, a military pilot who shot down Iranian-produced Shahed-136 drones over the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia and ejected from his damaged jet before it crashed.

"Major Vadym Oleksandrovych Voroshylov shall be awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine and be presented with the Order of the Gold Star," Zelensky said in a decree.

"(This title is awarded) for personal courage and heroism displayed in the protection of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, (and) selfless service to the Ukrainian people," the president said.

Voroshylov, who goes by the call sign "Karaya," downed five of the powerful Shahed-136 drones in a nighttime battle on October 12, according to Ukrainian news reports. With his MiG-29 damaged by debris from a drone, he maneuvered the plane away from Vinnytsia before ejecting. Debris also struck his neck and cheek.

Newsweek could not verify the claims about how many drones he shot down.

Voroshylov uploaded a selfie showing a thumbs-up and his face covered in blood.

"Nobody and nothing can break us!" he wrote in a caption.

"The Ukrainian defense forces are not only defending our state, they are defending the entire civilized world, this is a shield that protects the Western world from the horde, leaving behind only chaos and devastation! But this protection is very expensive for the sons of Ukraine, so you need to understand and remember!"

He also said on his Instagram account that four days after he ejected from his plane, he returned and apologized to local residents for any inconvenience that he may have caused them.

The pilot said he "thanked them for their nerves of steel, their comprehensive assistance provided during the evacuation and their faith in the Armed Forces of Ukraine!"

Lieutenant-General Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, kickstarted a petition for Voroshylov to be named "Hero of Ukraine," according to Ukrainska Pravda.

According to Ukrainian news outlets, Voroshylov is from the city of Kremenchuk in central Ukraine. He graduated from the Kremenchuk Military Lyceum in 2011, and later, from the Kharkiv National University of the Air Force.

He went on to serve in the 204th tactical aviation brigade as a pilot, and later worked as a senior pilot of the aviation squadron and head of the flight safety services.

In 2017, he was named the best young pilot of the South Air Command, and three years later, became the "Best Fighter Aviation Crew of the Ukrainian Air Force."

Last year, according to Ukrainian news outlet zn.ua, he was dismissed from the army "due to bureaucracy," but returned after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion in February.

The U.K's Defense Ministry said on October 24 that Ukrainian efforts to defeat the Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones used by Russia have become "increasingly successful."

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