Ukrainian pilot destroys 5 drones, 2 cruise missiles before emergency ejection

A Ukrainian pilot was able to destroy five Russian drones in a single day before being forced to eject from his fighter jet due to technical reasons, according to Ukraine's Air Force.

The unnamed pilot took out three Iranian-made Shahed 136 drones in south Ukraine and another two in the skies over the Vinnytsia region while on a combat mission on October 12, the Ukrainian Air Force Command said in a statement.

They had shot down two Russian cruise missiles the day before, the military command said.

The pilot, part of one of the Ukrainian Air Force's tactical aviation brigades, had to eject from his aircraft after destroying the Shahed 136 drones.

"Due to unspecified technical reasons, the pilot began to lose control of the machine, but did everything possible to steer the plane away from Vinnytsia and ejected," the Ukrainian Air Force Command's statement read.

The pilot ejected successfully and "feels well," according to the statement.

Lieutenant General Mykola Oleschuk, the head of the Ukrainian Air Force, has initiated a petition to award the pilot with the "Hero of Ukraine" title, the highest national title that Ukraine's president can bestow to citizens.