This Ukrainian air defender has already taken down six russian Su-25 attack aircraft, and doesn’t plan to stop on this milestone. We talk about a serviceman of Ukraine's gendarmerie, the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU), with a call sign "Bandyt" (bandit). Here is all we know about him at this point.
He became famous in May, when his command revealed that he had downed three russian warplanes already. Presumably, his first successful shot found its target in mid-April, when the "Ghost of Kyiv", the mysterious pilot, was at its peak of popularity.
Read more: The ‘Gost of Kyiv’ – Ukrainian Jet Pilot has Downed Six Russian Enemy Planes through February 24
By the way, as we previously explained, "Ghost of Kyiv" is actually a collective image of the pilots from the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Air Force. Click here for details.
Now back to "Bandyt". He is a conscripted serviceman of 19 years old, according to the NGU. The soldier is serving in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, thus he also is known in social media as the "Avenger of Zaporizhzhia".
On May 30, the NGU published a short interview with this already experienced serviceman, who had just shot down his third enemy jet with "Igla" MANPADS – a domestically made anti-aircraft missile.
"I did not take down three planes ‘already’, but only three yet, and I will destroy them as long as necessary – until our victory!" he stressed.
The "Avenger of Zaporizhzhia" received a commemorative personal flak jacket from volunteers, which also got into the frame in the new video, published July 17: the soldier showed his "girlfriend" – the "Igla" missile system he uses to destroy russian aircraft.
"It is as difficult as it seems," he noted. It requires to quickly lock on the target, "Bandyt" explains. When asked, whether he is aware of his "Avenger of Zaporizhzhia" nickname, the air defender said:
"They started to call me like that since I destroyed three jets. In general, I like it, my comrades, too. But the most important thing is that it brings results – less enemy warplanes will ruin our cities, and their pilots will realize that their sortie could be the last one."
In addition to the six Su-25 airplanes, the "Avenger of Zaporizhzhia" has also downed one russian UAV and one cruise missile.
Read more: Enemy Air Defense Worked in Favor of Ukraine - It Shot Down Russian Fighter Jet (Video)
