b. 1994
Vadym Voroshylov
Fighter pilot, “Karaya”
He never dreamed of flying as a kid, yet became a pilot the whole country knows by his call sign. On 12 October 2022 Vadym Voroshylov, “Karaya”, downed five Shahed drones, then steered his damaged MiG-29 away from homes below before ejecting. Hero of Ukraine.
Key accomplishments
- Best young pilot of the Air Force’s South Air Command in 2017; in 2020 his crew was named the best fighter crew in the Ukrainian Air Force
- One of the few pilots cleared to fly at night
- Shot down two cruise missiles on 10 October 2022 and five Shahed kamikaze drones on 12 October
- Steered his damaged fighter away from a settlement before ejecting
- Hero of Ukraine (decree No. 829/2022) and the Order for Courage, 3rd class (2022)
He never dreamed of the sky
Vadym Voroshylov was born in 1994 in Kremenchuk, a city on the Dnipro in central Ukraine. Don’t expect a romantic story about a childhood dream of flying: he never wanted to be a pilot. At 15 he entered the Kremenchuk lyceum with extra military and physical training. Its former headmaster recalls that three Heroes of Ukraine are among his graduates, “Karaya” and Serhii Volynskyi, “Volyna”, among them. Next came the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National University of the Air Force.
Best young pilot
In 2016 Voroshylov joined the 204th Tactical Aviation Brigade, the same brigade in which Oleksii Mes flew. In 2017 he was named the best young pilot of the South Air Command, and in 2020 his crew came out best among the Air Force’s fighter crews. He was one of the few pilots cleared to fly at night. In 2021 Vadym left the service, fed up with army bureaucracy. When the full-scale invasion began in 2022, he went back.
An evening over Vinnytsia
On 10 October 2022, during a massive Russian missile attack, Voroshylov shot down two cruise missiles. On 12 October he destroyed five Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones: three over southern Ukraine and two over Vinnytsia. During the last attack his MiG-29 was damaged. Seeing the lights of a settlement ahead, he steered the jet towards open fields, and only then ejected.
Why Ukraine knows his name
On 5 December 2022 Vadym Voroshylov was made a Hero of Ukraine. He is an honorary citizen of his home city of Kremenchuk, and in 2024 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He is known for the choice he made in the sky over Vinnytsia: first steer the plane away from people, and only then save himself.
