Ukraine: 'Ghost of Kyiv' Hero Fighter Is Not Real [Here's the Truth]

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.

Ukraine's Airforce Admits "Ghost of Kyiv" Isn't Real

The rumored hero was credited with shooting down as many as 40 Russian planes before being shot down on March 13 while engaging an overwhelming amount of enemy forces, according to the Times of London. Major Stepan Tarabalka is the alleged Ukrainian war hero.

The Ukrainian government had already played a vital role in creating and perpetuating the legend of a single courageous and highly accurate fighter pilot. 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 mysterious supposed pilot, according to the New York Post.

Major Stepan Tarabalka, an actual 29-year-old who died in air combat in March, was recognized as the Ghost of Kyiv by certain news publications, including The Times of London. The allegation was widely shared on social media and in tabloid magazines in Ukraine and the West, appearing to corroborate that the courageous fighter's narrative was true.

"Ghost of Kyiv" Used as Propaganda in Information War

Instead, it has proven to be one of the most effective pieces of propaganda in a propaganda war that Ukraine has conducted at times as viciously as it has on the battlefield.

The Ukrainian media began reporting barely a day after Russia's invasion began that an unknown pilot of a MIG-29 fighter jet had shot down six enemy jets in 30 hours. With the hashtag #ghostofkyiv, memes and images circulated online, garnering hundreds of millions of views.

Even Ukraine's previous president, Petro O. Poroshenko, tweeted a photo of the Ghost of Kyiv, a pilot who he claimed had "six wins over Russian pilots!" "

The government of Ukraine has also joined in. It shared the tale and the images on Twitter on February 27, calling the unidentified pilot a nightmare for invading Russian aircraft, and posting a video congratulating the pilot that featured footage from a military flight simulator.

When the Ukrainian Defense Ministry stated on Facebook that scores of dismissed military pilots were returning to the Air Force around the same time, it alluded to the obsession with the unidentified pilot, saying, "Who knows, maybe one of them is the air avenger on the MIG-29."

According to early reports, 13 Ukrainian border guards were killed after being ordered to lay down their guns and surrender on Snake Island, also known as Zmiinyi Island. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky praised the 13 guards who died as heroes, adding they will be given the title of Hero of Ukraine posthumously.

After Russia stated that a garrison at the outpost had willingly surrendered to Russian forces, the Ukrainian Navy confirmed that the defenders were alive and well.

Last month, the Russian Navy missile cruiser spearheaded the legendary raid on Snake Island in the Black Sea and fell to the seabed. According to the Pentagon, Ukrainian forces fired two Neptune missiles at the Russian flagship Moskva, which sunk the next day, Washington Examiner reported.