It is said the elderly man “destroyed” a Russian Su-34 jet with his rifle.
A Government agency in Ukraine has honoured a pensioner with a medal after claiming he “shot down a Russian plane”.
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said the incident occurred in March as “the Russian occupiers continuously bombarded Chernihiv”.
According to the agency, 72-year-old Valeriy Fedorovych took out his rifle and opened fire on a Russian Su-34 jet, which subsequently fell from the sky and was “destroyed”.
The State Border Guard Service posted a video to its YouTube account of Valeriy with his rifle slung over his shoulder as he walks through his war-torn home town.
We also see the elderly man’s garage in the short clip, where it is reported he stores debris from the fallen plane.
On top of this, the video includes footage allegedly showing the Su-34 dropping from the air after being hit as people offscreen clap and cheer.
Various outlets have reported that the jet cost an estimated €86 million.
Calling Valeriy “a hero”, the State Border Guard Service said it awarded him the medal “for assistance in the protection of the state border.”
You can watch the video posted by the Ukrainian Government agency below.
Clip via State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
Meanwhile, earlier this month, it was reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin honoured a murderer with a medal “for courage” after he died fighting in the war in Ukraine.
The Insider states that Ivan Neparatov was the leader of a gang of robbers near Moscow and that in July 2013, he and members of the group were found guilty of a number of crimes, including five murders.
Neparatov was handed a sentence of 25 years in prison, but only served 12 of them as he was then recruited to fight for Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
According to documents seen by The Insider, he was killed last month in the city of Artemovsk in the Donetsk region.
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