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The Ukrainian pilot known as the ‘Kiev Ghost’ who had shot down about 40 Russian planes was just a morale booster, Ukraine recently acknowledged.
The British Daily Mail wrote that the ‘Ghost’ turned into an inspiring symbol of Ukraine’s resistance to Russian occupation.
Ukrainian Air Force Major Stepan Tarabalka, 29, was mistakenly identified by the media as the ‘Ghost of Kiev’ which led the Ukrainian military to finally accept the mythological side of the claim.
A post on the Ukrainian Air Force Facebook page read on Saturday: “The ghost of Kiev is the legend of a superhero whose character was created by the Ukrainians!”
While Tarabalka was a real pilot who died in battle on March 13, and was later given the title “Hero of Ukraine”.
But the air force said he was not the “Ghost of Kiev”. writes the Daily Mail.
In their explanation, the Ukrainian authorities said on Twitter: “The information about the ‘Ghost of Keiv’ is incorrect. “The ghost of Kiev is alive as it represents the collective spirit of the qualified pilots of the Aviation Brigade, who are successfully defending the Kiev region.”
The legend began a few days after the Russian attack on Ukraine on February 24, as users on social media spread claims about an anonymous pilot who was shooting down Russian planes one after another.
Photos, ‘memes’ and even video footage from a flight simulator began circulating, claiming to be the “Ghost of Kiev” during the air war.
Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko posted an old photo of the country’s defense ministry saying the “Kiev ghost” had shot down six Russian planes.
While pilot Tarabalka was born into a working-class family in the village of Korolivka in western Ukraine.
He had studied at Kharkiv Air Force University and left behind his wife Olenia and eight-year-old son Yarik.
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