Ukrainian officials revealed over the weekend that the “Ghost of Kyiv” is a hoax.
Military authorities revealed Saturday that the fabled, mystery hero fighter pilot was not a 29-year-old father recently slain in action with the Russians, as various news agencies reported last week.
“The Kyiv Ghost is a superhero legend invented by Ukrainians!” On Facebook, Ukraine’s Air Force Command posted.
The rumored hero was credited with shooting down as many as 40 Russian planes before being shot down on March 13 while engaging a “overwhelming” amount of enemy forces, according to the Times of London.
Major Stepan Tarabalka, according to the New York Times, is the alleged Ukrainian war hero.
While Tarabalka was a decorated military hero, he was not the “Ghost,” according to Ukraine, because such a person never existed.
“Stepan Tarabalka, Ukraine’s Hero, is NOT the ‘Ghost of Kyiv,’ and he did NOT shoot down 40 planes,” the country’s Air Force Command stated.
According to military officials, the name belongs to all of Ukraine’s hero fighter pilots.
“The #GhostOfKyiv is still alive and well. It “embodies the collective spirit of the Tactical Aviation Brigade’s highly skilled pilots who are effectively protecting #Kyiv and the region,” according to the command.
The Ukrainian government had already played a vital role in the creation and perpetuation of the legend of a single brave and especially on-target fighter pilot.
“He’s known as the Kyiv Ghost.” And rightfully so,” the administration said of the rumored unknown individual in February, adding that the pilot had “already become a nightmare for invading Russian planes.”
However, many people questioned whether the “Ghost” was real after a video purporting to show the fighter turned out to be from a computer game.
Some speculated that the alleged folk hero and his MiG-29 Fulcrum would be unable to carry out the strikes for which he was credited.
Despite this, many individuals were eager to commemorate the enigmatic alleged pilot.
“Whether true or false, this is EXACTLY the type of uplifting tale the resistance needs right now,” a Twitter user commented.