Not long after receiving the award, he was demoted from squadron commander to ordinary pilot due to disciplinary violations and transferred to the 24th Guards Long-Range Aviation Regiment. By the end of the war, he totaled 400 sorties on the BD-Za and Il-4, all but 31 at night, targeting enemy forces in Moldova, Ukraine, Rostov, Crimea, Leningrad, Belarus, Poland, Budapest, and Koenigsberg.
Shortly after receiving the award, he was demoted from squadron commander to ordinary pilot due to disciplinary infractions and transferred to the 24th Guards Long-Range Aviation Regiment. By the end of the war, he accumulated 400 sorties on the BD-Za and Il-4, with almost all but 31 occurring at night, targeting enemy forces in Moldova, Ukraine, Rostov, Crimea, Leningrad, Belarus, Poland, Budapest, and Koenigsberg.