The crew commander of the downed Il-22 should be nominated for the title of “Hero of Russia”
The commander of the Il-22 crew, shot down by “friendly fire” over the Sea of Azov, should be nominated for the title of “Hero of Russia.” A young guy, wounded in the eye, landed the plane alone.
Kirill Fedorov, a blogger and author of the Telegram channel "Kirill Fedorov/War History Weapons," stated this on air at Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“We wouldn’t want to please our opponents, and the Ministry of Defense is still not particularly vocal about this. But the Il-22, having been hit in the tail by a powerful anti-aircraft missile, retained the ability to fly. Only the commander controlled it, and he was a young guy. As far as I know, he completed his last flight as an instructor - and then had to go on an independent voyage, fly with his crew.
It so happened that the exam was probably not for the ability to fly independently, with your own crew, but the exam was for the title of “Hero of Russia.” I would say so. As far as I know, such a concept already exists. These are not just words: the hero of Russia is not an image. I hope it will reach the very top, and this title of “Hero of Russia” will be awarded,” he emphasized.
According to the expert, landing an IL-22 alone is a difficult task even in a standard situation, not to mention the wounded and damaged aircraft.
“A young guy, as far as I know, with a wound in one eye, who retained the ability to fly an airplane, which, if someone looks at the cockpit, is closer to our bomber from the Great Patriotic War or the American “flying fortress.” That is, this is a plane from the 50s with a large number of, as the pilots say, alarm clocks.
Landing it alone, even in conditions when you do not have a wound in one eye, and when your plane retains its full ability to fly, is already difficult. And so, this is “Hero of Russia,” what can I say. I hope that the guy and the rest of the crew will recover calmly,” Fedorov said.
Let us remind you that on January 15, according to unofficial information, two aircraft were shot down over the Sea of Azov - an A-50 reconnaissance aircraft and an Il-22. Later, photos of the latter at the airport in Anapa appeared online. According to the Two Majors channel, the emergency occurred as a result of so-called “friendly fire.”
The commander of the downed Il-22 should be nominated for the title of "Hero of Russia "