Quick Facts
Aquarius
Biography
Vadym Oleksandrovych Voroshylov (Ukrainian: Вадим Олександрович Ворошилов; callsign "Karaya"; 2 February 1994 in Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian fighter pilot ace of the Ukrainian Air Force, and recipient of the Hero of Ukraine award.
He took his call sign, Karaya, in honor of the WW2 fighter pilot Erich Hartmann, the most successful fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare.
Biography
In 2011, he graduated from the Kremenchuk Military Lyceum, in 2015 (with honors; specialty — Military Administration (Air Force) and in 2016 (Master's degree, with honors, specialty — management of aviation units) from the Ivan Kozhedub National Air Force University.
After graduation, he was assigned to the 204th Tactical Aviation Brigade, where he served as a pilot (2016–2018), senior pilot (2018–2020) of the aviation link of the aviation squadron and head of the flight safety service (2020–2021).
In 2017, he became the best young pilot of the South Air Command.
In 2020, following the results of flight competitions, he was named the "Best Fighter Crew of the Air Force of Ukraine".
In 2021, at the end of his contract, he resigned from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He worked as a senior aviation chief at a civilian airfield.
Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022)
On February 24, 2022, after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he resumed his service.
At first, he flew missions over the Zhytomyr Oblast. After that, he flew over the Izyum and eastern directions, and later over the Kherson Oblast.
On October 10, during a massive missile attack, he shot down two Russian cruise missiles.
On October 12, according to Ukrainian officials he destroyed five Shahed 136 drones: three in southern Ukraine and two over Vinnytsia, making him an ace in a day. Due to the damage to his fighter aircraft, a MiG-29 Fulcrum, Vadym ejected in Vinnytsia region, having previously diverted the fighter jet from the settlement. He was awarded the Hero of Ukraine award for his actions, and acquired the nickname "Ghost of Vinnytsia".
Awards
- Hero of Ukraine (2022)
- Order for Courage, III class (2022)
Interesting facts
On October 20, 2022, Vinnytsia hosted the presentation of an exclusive postage stamp with a "combat pilot goose" dedicated to the Karaya pilot.
