He was part of the first six Soviet citizens, with German Titov, Yevgeny Khrunov, Andriyan Nikolayev, Pavel Popovich, and Grigoriy Nelyubov, who were given the title of pilot-cosmonaut in January 1961.
hiː wʌz pˈɑːɹt ʌvðə fˈɜːst sˈɪks sˈoʊviət sˈɪɾɪzənz, wɪð dʒˈɜːmən tˈɪɾɑːv, jˈɛvdʒɛni kɹˈʌnɑːv, ˈændɹɪjən nˈɪkəlˌeɪɛv, pˈeɪvəl pəpˈoʊvɪtʃ, ænd ɡɹˈɪɡoːɹˌɪi nˈɛljuːbˌɑːv, hˌuː wɜː ɡˈɪvən ðə tˈaɪɾəl ʌv pˈaɪlətkˈɑːzmənˌɔːt ɪn dʒˈænjuːˌɛɹi nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti wˈʌn.