A T-shirt that reads ‘The Ghost of Kyiv’ is seen at clothing company Aviatsiya Halychyny in Lviv, Ukraine April 22, 2022 Leon Neal/Getty Images
The so-called Ghost of Kyiv reportedly died in battle last month.
The ace is said to have shot down as many as 40 Russian planes during the war.
Although many speculated that he was a myth, his identity as Major Stepan Tarabalka has been debunked.
A famous Ukrainian fighter pilot nicknamed Ghost of Kyiv has died in combat, local sources told the Times of London.
The Ghost of Kyiv first surfaced when the Ukrainian government tweeted a video crediting the then-unnamed pilot with shooting down six Russian planes on the first day of the war. It has been claimed that he shot down as many as 40 Russian planes.
His identity has now been revealed to be Major Stepan Tarabalka, 29, who was killed on March 13 when “overwhelming” Russian forces shot down the MiG-29s he was flying, The Times said.
Ukrainian sources told the newspaper that his helmet and goggles are expected to be auctioned in London.
“People call him the ghost of Kyiv. And rightly so – dominating the skies over our capital and country, this UAF ace has already become a nightmare for invading Russian planes,” the tweet said.
Days before his death, the Ukrainian General Staff released a picture of the fighter pilot in the cockpit of his MiG-29 jet with his face covered and the caption: “Hello, occupier, I’m coming for your soul!”
Since his identity was kept secret, many speculated that the spirit of Kyiv was a myth intended to boost Ukrainian morale. However, the government continued to insist that he existed.
Tarabalka was born into a working-class family in the small village of Korolivka and graduated from the Kharkiv National University of the Air Force, The Times reported.
He is survived by his wife Olena and their eight-year-old son Yarik.
His parents, Ivan and Natalia, gave an interview to NPR after their son’s death and described his lifelong dream of becoming a fighter pilot.
“He always watched the paratroopers during their aerial exercises. And he ran in their direction to see where they landed. Ever since he was a little kid, he always dreamed of the sky, of flying higher than the clouds,” his mother, Natalia, told NPR.
The story goes on
His father told NPR they were not given the details of their son’s final flight, only that he did not return after completing a mission.
His parents confirmed that the fighter pilot was posthumously awarded Ukraine’s highest medal for bravery in combat, the Order of the Golden Star with the title of Hero of Ukraine.
“Of course he had already earned and deserved that medal, that honor while he was with us,” Ivan told NPR. “We are proud of him. But we wish he would receive this honor after the war. We wish he were still alive.”
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