Aviation
Military /
Europe
Kiev ghost
Ukraine calls for an end to fake news by denying the existence of the famous MiG-29 pilot
MiG 29
Public Domain
Rafael Ramos
5/4/2022
A Ukrainian pilot flying his MiG-29 fighter allegedly shot down several Russian planes. The legend of what would be the only aviation ace of the 21st century began to circulate on the internet, and it is not known who invented the rumor, which has a name: Ghost of Kiev.
The legend arose in the very early days of the war, claiming that the Ukrainian pilot would have already become an Ace, the first European since the second world war. To become an Ace, the pilot needs to shoot down at least five aircraft. That way, the five kills would have happened in just a few days!
On Saturday (30), it became public the death of Major Stepan Tarabalka, a Ukrainian who piloted a MiG-29 and was killed on 03/13 in combat against the Russian Air Force. We regret all the deaths that occurred in the war. However, what happened was enough to attribute the pilot's identity to the "Ghost of Kyiv" on websites and social networks. What's more, 40 kills have been attributed to the Kiev ghost, making it a phenomenon.
Obviously, it is not possible for a MiG-29 pilot to be able to shoot down 40 Russian Air Force aircraft. There has never been any official confirmation of any kills of Su-35, Su-25, Su-27, or even MiG-29 by a Ukrainian MiG-29 pilot. Although there have been images published by major media outlets, the images are proven to be false.
There are no images of the wreckage of any plane shot down by the Ghost. The Kiev ghost is just a legend, probably created to boost the morale of Ukrainian forces in the face of a much larger force.
Even the Ukrainian Armed Forces Facebook page reported that the Kiev ghost is fake. He also denied rumors that Ukrainian pilots were receiving training to fly the F-16.
“The Phantom of Kiev is a superhero legend whose figure was created by Ukrainians! It is yet another collective image of the pilots of the Air Force's 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, which protects the capital's sky, who suddenly appear where they are not expected!”, reads the Armed Forces Command.
In addition, the publication spoke about Fake News: “Once again, we ask the Ukrainian community NOT to neglect basic information hygiene rules. Check sources of information before releasing it.”
Sukhoi Su-27
Vitaly V. Kuzmin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Rafael Ramos
Aviation enthusiast from an early age, he had his first contacts with the area developing that good old habit of spending dozens of hours in front of the screens of Micrsoft Flight Simulator and other simulators. With a solid background in various technological areas, including engineering and chemistry, Rafael has rejoined aviation as editor and author of articles and materials on our portal, providing invaluable help to the dynamics and expansion of the website and the aeronautical community, bringing us the news and updates so indispensable for us to remain current in our area of operation.
   
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