Valeriy Fedorovych: 'Hero' Ukrainian pensioner shoots down $85 MILLION Russian fighter jet with just his rifle
CHERNIHIV, UKRAINE: A pensioner reportedly shot down an $85 million Russian fighter jet with just his rifle, the State Border Service of Ukraine claims. According to reports, Valeriy Fedorovych, an elderly man shot down the Russian Su-34 fighter jet as it passed over his residence in Chernihiv, northern Ukraine. He allegedly gathered the fallen jet's debris and now preserves the fragments in his garage.
The State Border Service of Ukraine presented the man with a medal in recognition of his amazing performance. The purported accuracy of Valeriy Fedorovych has not been independently verified. However, video taken at the alleged incident's time shows the $85 million plane spiraling as it hits the ground. The State Boundary Service of Ukraine thanked Valeriy for his assistance in the protection of the state border and praised his heroism.
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The old man is shown strolling through his destroyed hometown with a gun slung over his shoulder in a clip released by the agency. It is the most notable tale of Ukrainian military prowess to have come to light in the first half of the conflict with Russia. A photo shows the pensioner proudly exhibiting his medal to journalists. The SU-35, according to some critics, is the most overrated fighter in the 4++ generation. Abhirup Sengupta, an aviation expert, told Express UK, "It’s marketed as ‘world-beating’ – something it doesn’t come close to. Despite being marketed as 4++ gen, Su-35 has the least capable avionics suite among its competitors."
This is not the first time a retired Ukrainian man has made the decision to face the Russian army alone. Another senior shot at a fuel truck in February as a Russian military column passed his Bucha home. This new story of ‘heroism’ comes on the same day when Ukraine claimed it had downed a Russian aircraft without firing a single missile. According to reports, the incident happened near Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine, where much of the current fighting is centered.
Ukraine later released a statement saying, "We found the target, [and] we turned on the backlight radar. This time, radar exposure warning signals sounded in the [Russian invader's] cabin. He realized that he had turned from being a hunter to being a target. This probably stunned the pilot so much that he immediately ejected and the plane crashed." Meanwhile, according to BBC, over the last weekend, Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, asked the West to keep holding Putin, warning that if he wasn't stopped in Ukraine, he would storm throughout Europe. He pleaded with world leaders to resist being intimidated by Putin despite the cost of living issue brought on by boycotting Russia and the subsequent increase in energy prices.