Hero of Ukraine pilot Karaya tells the story of his ejection

Karaya shared the story in a conversation on the YouTube channel of the Air Force of Ukraine.

"My morning began at 4 o'clock. The "air" signal was sent out. One pilot destroyed 2 Shahed drones in southern Ukraine. I went next. I also destroyed 3, performed a landing at the operational airfield. Then I was working on other tasks and in the evening this rush began again. I took off from the operational airfield in southern Ukraine and was destroying air targets over the sky of Vinnytsia. Approaching Vinnytsia, I visually monitored it. Then carried out the targeting and interception of the 5th air target and, unfortunately, during its destruction my aircraft was damaged by debris," said Vadym Voroshylov.

Karaya also admitted that he was blinded by the blood which prevented him from fully assessing the situation.

"Flashlight was destroyed. This is the glass of the cockpit in simple terms. And the nose of the aircraft as well. I was not badly injured, but the blood prevented a full assessment of the situation. My first thought was that I did not want to eject. Along the course, I saw a settlement. At that time I did not know which of the settlements it exactly was. I saw only lights below. I checked the control of the aircraft along the longitudinal channel, unfortunately, it was no longer controlled. It was controlled along the transverse channel. I saw a black area in front of me and determined that it was probably a field," says the Hero of Ukraine.

According to Voroshylov, he ejected when the flames began to reach him.

"Next, a fire started inside the cabin. When the flames began to reach me, I ejected. Without delay, as instructed. I had been landing with a parachute for about 2 minutes. I had time to think about everything, see everything and plan further actions after landing," he says in the video.

"I took out my phone to make sure and assess the situation regarding my health, to establish the next steps after landing, and what medical care I should give myself as a priority. I used it as a mirror. I remembered the guys I work with. When an aircraft disappears from the radar, everyone starts to worry until the moment,  when the pilot gets in touch. The photo is a message that our nation cannot be broken. It doesn't matter what situation a Ukrainian is in, they see only a bright future ahead," Vadym Voroshylov said.

On October 12, the pilot with the call sign Karaya destroyed 5 Iranian drones and due to damage to the aircraft, ejected in Vinnytsia region, having previously driven the fighter away from the settlement.