He took the plane away from village: Major Danylo Murashko, knight of Khmelnytskyi Order, fallen in battle

299th division of tactical aviation named after Lieutenant General Vasyl Nikiforov reports.

On January 27, Murashko was shot down by a Russian fighter. Despite the low altitude of the flight, seeing the settlement of Shabelkivka nearby, the pilot tried to take the plane away from residential buildings until the last second. Because of this, he lost altitude and could not eject safely, which is why he died.

He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine for his personal courage and bravery in the defense of state interests, strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities and security.

"On January 30, we conducted the last flight of a loyal son of Ukraine and one of the best officers of our division, commander of the aviation unit of the aviation squadron, Major Danylo Murashko. From the first day of Russian full-scale armed aggression, the officer faithfully and courageously performed all assigned combat tasks, while showing heroic  devotion to the military cause, patriotism and impeccable service to Ukrainian people, was a loyal comrade and a bright example for servicemen of our unit," the message says.

From February 24, 2022 to January 27, 2023, Murashko had 141 combat flights. In the difficult conditions of anti-aircraft and Russian fighters, he destroyed about 70 units of armored vehicles, more than 80 motor vehicles, about 30 tankers of fuel, and about 600 Russian soldiers. Thanks to his skillful actions, he repeatedly carried out the withdrawal of aircraft from Russian air and missile strikes.

For outstanding achievements in the fight against the Russian enemy, he was awarded the orders of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi of all three grades.