Vadym Voroshilov made a name for himself as a “drone killer” during the Russian war (Photo: Ukrainian Ministry of Defense)

A brave Ukrainian pilot battled Russian drones, was ejected from his burning jet, then snapped a selfie of his blood-covered face as he gave a thumbs up.

Vadym Voroshylov, an accomplished photographer and videographer, didn’t let his head injury get in the way of a photo.

He later posted it on Instagram with a warning to Kremlin troops: “No one and nothing can break us!”

The amazing photo was taken in October, but the incident only recently came to light.

Vadym had managed to shoot down five Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones in just one week, earning him the reputation of a “drone killer.”

But debris from the latter entered the cockpit of his MiG-29 and slit his cheek and throat as it flew over Vinnytsia, Forbes reports.

Realizing his jet was about to be destroyed, he pulled the eject lever – and incredibly managed to steady his phone to record the shot as it landed.

Two months later, on December 5, the pilot was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, Order of the Gold Star by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The pilot was awarded the title Hero of Ukraine, Order of the Gold Star (Photo: Instagram Via the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense)

Ukrainian pilot's bloody selfie after downing Russian drone (Photo: Instagram via Ukrainian Defense Ministry)

Defense of Ukraine reported the incident on social media (Photo: Ukrainian Defense Ministry)

After recovering from his injuries, he is now back in the fray as the devastating war enters its tenth month.

Despite previous successes in the military, Vadym did not expect to be in the air this year.

In July 2021, he and several other Ukrainian Air Force pilots declined to renew their five-year contracts.

He said he was unhappy with long hours and low pay, as well as a perceived lack of support from the Air Force.

“They always blame the pilot,” he told the Kyiv Post. “It doesn’t matter if it was the human factor or a technical error.”

But when Vladimir Putin sent troops to invade, he knew he had to return to help his country.

It came as heavy fighting broke out in Ukraine on Thursday, mainly in regions annexed by Russia.

Zelensky’s office said on Wednesday that 11 civilians were killed and another 17 injured in Ukraine.

Yesterday, Putin warned that the risk of nuclear war was rising, but retracted some previous threats.

The Russian president said his army would “defend itself with all the means at our disposal”.

But added: “We have not gone crazy, we know what nuclear weapons are.”

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