Alexander Ignatyevich Molodchy was a military pilot of Long-Range Aviation of the USSR and Lieutenant General of the air forces. The young man in the picture was one of the most productive pilots during the war — he made 311 sorties, most of which were at night. Molodchy was the first to receive the title of Hero of the Soviet Union twice during his lifetime.

The portrait of Alexander Molodchy was created by the Soviet painter and graphic artist Porfiry Krylov. He was a member of the “Kukryniksy” artistic collective, which became world famous thanks to military political posters and anti-fascist cartoons.

In 1943, at one of the airfields near Moscow, the Kukryniksy worked together on a portrait of the pilot. The young man barely had enough time for several sessions of posing for the artists. His portrait by the Kukryniksy became one of the best wartime paintings — they accurately captured the image of a young hero of the Great Patriotic War. The original portrait is kept in the Central Armed Forces Museum. The exhibition of the Porfiry Krylov Museum houses a sketch for this work.

Alexander Molodchy recalled the meeting with the artists as follows:

In the portrait, Alexander Molodchy is only 23 years old and has a long and bright life ahead of him. He made his last combat mission on April 25, 1945 — to Berlin. After the war, the young man remained in service of the Red Army and made a great contribution to the development of Russian military aviation. He passed away at the age of 82.