Famous pilot, full cavalier of the Order of 'Courage' showed his talisman.

Ukrainian pilot with his toy bear in the sky

MiG-29 pilot Ivan Smerechansky, commander of the aviation squadron of the 114th tactical aviation brigade and full cavalier of the Order of 'Courage', talked about his unusual companion during an interview for the 'Removska Interview' project. It turns out that the pilot always takes a toy bear with him into the air.

'This is my combat companion. He has been flying since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, even earlier - since 2018. Friends gifted me the bear. We joke that he has his own flight and medical books, as he goes through commissions with me. We, pilots, are a bit superstitious. This bear is our talisman, and my daughter loves to play with him,' the pilot said.

Earlier, he also mentioned why he takes a boat, a frying pan, and a mirror on board. The pilot shared details of his equipment and preparations for combat missions.

This Ukrainian pilot managed to destroy six cruise missiles during one combat sortie on an F-16 fighter. This occurred during a mass missile and drone attack in December 2024, marking the first such case in Ukraine's history.

Additionally, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine was able to reduce the training duration for pilots on F-16 fighters by almost three months.