Myths about a Ukrainian fighter pilot during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Ghost of Kyiv - Wikipedia
THE GHOST OF KYIV 019
Russian forces The ghost of kyiev Putin
made with mematic Repost for ghost of Kiev gnore for Russian shitforcefalse
Kyiv KyivPost O Post @KyivPost The "Ghost" plane of Kyiv has destroyed 49 Russian planes. 9:14 AM · Mar 10, 2022 · Twitter Web App
The Ghost of Kyiv (Ukrainian: Привид Києва, romanized: Pryvyd Kyieva, pronounced [ˈprɪwɪd ˈkɪjewɐ]) is the nickname given to a mythical MiG-29 Fulcrum flying ace who was alleged to have shot down six … Wikipedia
Factsheet
Country Ukraine
Named after Kyiv
Factsheet
Country Ukraine
Named after Kyiv
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Ghost_of_Kyiv
Ghost of Kyiv - Wikipedia
2 weeks ago - ↑ Naar, Ismaeel (25 February 2022). "Ukrainians call unidentified fighter pilot 'Ghost of Kiev' after dogfight videos surface". The National. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022.
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BBC
bbc.com › news › world-europe-61285833
How Ukraine's 'Ghost of Kyiv' legendary pilot was born
May 1, 2022 - The "Ghost of Kyiv" story about a heroic pilot downing many Russian planes turns out to be a legend.
Discussions

"Ghost of Kiev" Megathread
Hold on, how about this, whomever emerges an Ace on the Ukrainian side first, gets to be called “The Ghost of Kiev.” More on reddit.com
🌐 r/acecombat
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1118
February 25, 2022
Rumors of Ukrainian ace pilot supposedly shot down 6 Russian jets nicknamed “Ghost of Kyiv”

Hope this isn't just propaganda, would be an awesome story.

More on reddit.com
🌐 r/UkrainianConflict
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February 25, 2022
An ode to the Ghost of Kiev.

God speed to the ghost of Kiev.

More on reddit.com
🌐 r/ukraine
22
127
February 26, 2022
Market Rebellion on Twitter. Reported, lone Ukrainian MiG 29 downs 6 Russian aircraft on first day of invasion. Nicknamed “Ghost of Kyiv”

Guys playing Ace Combat on beginner

More on reddit.com
🌐 r/CombatFootage
413
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February 25, 2022
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DW
dw.com › en › fact-check-ukraines-ghost-of-kyiv-fighter-pilot › a-60951825
Fact check: The 'Ghost of Kyiv' fighter pilot
May 5, 2022 - After Ukrainian government accounts had repeatedly spread the story of the "Ghost of Kyiv" themselves, the Ukrainian Air Force clarified on Facebook that "The hero of Ukraine Stepan Tarabalka is NOT the 'Ghost of Kyiv' and he did NOT hit 40 planes." Rather, he "embodies the collective spirit of the highly skilled pilots of the Tactical Air Force Brigade who successfully defend Kyiv and the region."
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NBC News
nbcnews.com › news › world › ukraine-admits-ghost-kyiv-isnt-real-wartime-myth-russia-rcna26867
Ukraine admits the 'Ghost of Kyiv' isn’t real, but the wartime myth worked against Russia
May 3, 2022 - As with most legends, the Ghost of Kyiv’s origin is shrouded in mystery, but it was undoubtedly abetted by former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who tweeted an image of a masked fighter pilot who purportedly shot down six Russian jets within hours of Moscow’s invasion.
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Simple English Wikipedia
simple.wikipedia.org › wiki › Ghost_of_Kyiv
Ghost of Kyiv - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
February 6, 2024 - The Ghost of Kyiv (Ukrainian: Привид Києва, romanized: Pryvyd Kyyeva) is the nickname given to an unconfirmed MiG-29 Fulcrum flying ace. They are known for shooting down six Russian planes in the Kyiv offensive on 24 February 2022.
Find elsewhere
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CBC News
cbc.ca › news › world › ukraine-ghost-of-kyiv-myth-1.6437895
Ukraine admits 'Ghost of Kyiv' fighter pilot, hailed for feats against Russian forces, is a myth | CBC News
May 2, 2022 - On social media, the "Ghost of Kyiv" was a military hero, an ace fighter pilot hailed for supposedly shooting down multiple Russian planes. The tales began just days into the war and circulated for months, bolstered by official Ukrainian accounts.
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FOX 9
fox9.com › news › russia-ukraine › who is the 'ghost of kyiv'? tale of ukrainian fighter pilot trends on social media
Who is the 'Ghost of Kyiv'? Tale of Ukrainian fighter pilot trends on social media | FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
February 25, 2022 - Videos of a jet flying over Ukraine have social media buzzing about unconfirmed claims that a fighter pilot called the “Ghost of Kyiv” took down six Russian jets.
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University of Washington
jsis.washington.edu › home › news & events › information warfare & the ghost of kyiv
Information Warfare & the Ghost of Kyiv - The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies
February 12, 2024 - By the war’s second day the pilot had been christened the “Ghost of Kyiv”[2] – a name cemented by the country’s former president, Petro Poroshenko, when he tweeted a photo of a helmeted pilot sitting in the cockpit of a fighter jet.[3] By the third day of the war, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense (MOD) was tweeting its own video about the Ghost, which consolidated several of the other pre-existing videos.[4]
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/acecombat › "ghost of kiev" megathread
r/acecombat on Reddit: "Ghost of Kiev" Megathread
February 25, 2022 -

We all want the "Ghost of Kyiv" to be true, but all signs point to this unfortunately not being the case. However, in an effort to prevent people from spamming this story to this subreddit multiple times a minute (which is what we were dealing with when this story caught fire yesterday), we've turned this PSA into a megathread and are bending our normal rules to allow discussion of this subject.

The "Ghost of Kiev" is a false rumor apparently started by a War Thunder youtuber.

As Defense Journalist and military aviation expert Steve Trimble implies, this story simply isn't plausible from a technical perspective.

See this comment for more information on why this can't be true.

Update: The War Thunder youtuber who irresponsibly started this rumor is now trying to walk it back.

Update 2: It appears that the plan was to merchandise this rumor all along.

Update 3: We've unlocked this thread and actually turned it into a real megathread - but discussion needs to stay respectful and on-topic. This is not an excuse to post politics - please stick to this particular story.

Update 4: Changed this messaging to a more neutral tone. The original messaging was more hostile than it needed to be, to discourage the spam we were receiving at the time. We'll try to do better in the future.

Update 5: I can't believe I have to say this, but there is no information to support today's rumor of a Russian ace called "The Black Bear", either. Information warfare is part of warfare, people.

Update 6: Congrats ya'll, you're famous.

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Royal Aeronautical Society
aerosociety.com › news › the-ghost-of-kyiv-myth-or-reality
The Ghost of Kyiv – myth or reality? - Royal Aeronautical Society
March 8, 2022 - Since the onslaught of the Russian military might against Ukraine in the early hours of 24th February 2022, the use of airpower was clear. The numbers between the two adversaries – Russia (300 combat aircraft in theatre) and Ukraine (around 98) - simply did not match and many expected Russian airpower to quick subdue the Ukrainian Air Force. Yet, by midday, when all seemed lost, the ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ was seen in the skies of Kyiv a MiG-29 Fulcrum fighting on alone.
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Kyiv Post
kyivpost.com › home › ukraine › the ghost of kyiv: who is the legendary pilot of the russo-ukrainian war?
The Ghost of Kyiv: Who Is the Legendary Pilot of the Russo-Ukrainian War?
February 25, 2024 - Ukraine's Ministry of Defense has revealed the origins of The Ghost of Kyiv, the legendary Ukrainian pilot who shot down 40 Russian aircraft, including six on the first day of the full-scale invasion.
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Quora
quora.com › Why-is-Ukraine-lying-about-the-ghost-of-Kiev-The-Ukrainian-Defense-ministry-actually-endorsed-DCS-footage-as-real-When-confronted-they-just-went-shut-about-it-Why
Why is Ukraine lying about the ghost of Kiev? The Ukrainian Defense ministry actually endorsed DCS footage as real. When confronted, they just went shut about it. Why? - Quora
Answer (1 of 6): Because: propaganda. The general population being fooled and manipulated by the state is not exclusive to so —called dictatorships, but is systemic to our very own Western governments and societies, it turns out. When I heard that a single Ukrainian fighter pilot had shot down ...
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The Guardian
theguardian.com › world › article › 2024 › jun › 20 › ukraine-war-briefing-mourning-for-ghosts-of-kyiv-fighter-pilot
Ukraine war briefing: Mourning for ‘Ghosts of Kyiv’ fighter pilot | Ukraine | The Guardian
June 20, 2024 - In the opening days of the Russian invasion in February 2022, social media followed the embellished exploits of the Ghost of Kyiv, a fighter pilot said to have downed six Russian warplanes.
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
'Ghost of Kyiv' fighter pilot inspires fight for Ukraine - YouTube
Articles: https://www.i24news.tv/enLive:http://i24ne.ws/4GMK30qJn0AFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/i24newsEN/Twitter: https://twitter.com/i24NEWS_ENInstag...
Published: March 2, 2022
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NYTimes
nytimes.com › world › europe
Ukraine acknowledges that the ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ is a myth. (Published 2022)
May 1, 2022 - It was only a day after the beginning of Russia’s invasion that the Ukrainian media started reporting that an unknown pilot of a MIG-29 fighter jet had downed six enemy planes in 30 hours. Memes and illustrations started circulating online with the hashtag #ghostofkyiv, collecting hundreds of millions of views.
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AP News
apnews.com › article › russia-ukraine-kyiv-europe-media-social-cc6e278ae22f37476eb95e5133541047
Ukraine admits 'Ghost of Kyiv' fighter pilot is a myth | AP News
May 2, 2022 - On social media, the “Ghost of Kyiv” was a military hero, an ace fighter pilot hailed for supposedly shooting down multiple Russian planes.
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Task & Purpose
taskandpurpose.com › news › around the world › russia › ‘the ghost of kyiv’ is the first urban legend of russia’s invasion of ukraine
‘The Ghost of Kyiv’ is the first urban legend of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
February 25, 2022 - His name and his history are shrouded in mystery, but his exploits are already the stuff of modern military lore: that, with six air-to-air kills, the heroic pilot of a Ukrainian MiG-29 became the first air combat ace over European soil since World War II. They call him ‘the Ghost of Kyiv’ — and despite thousands of digital prayers to the contrary, he is in all likelihood a work of fiction.
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Forbes
forbes.com › sites › davidaxe › 2022 › 04 › 30 › the-ghost-of-kyiv-who-was-never-real-just-got-killed-in-the-press
The ‘Ghost Of Kyiv,’ Who Was Never Real, Just Got Killed In The Press
July 3, 2023 - A lone warrior in the aerial defense of Ukraine’s embattled capital city in the early weeks of the Russian invasion. Deftly maneuvering his 30-year-old, twin-engine MiG-29, the Ghost jealously guarded the sky over Kyiv.
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NDTV
ndtv.com › home › world news › "ghost of kyiv" dies in battle after shooting down 40 russian jets, identity revealed
Russia-Ukraine war: "Ghost Of Kyiv" Dies In Battle After Shooting Down 40 Russian Jets, Identity Revealed
April 30, 2022 - A Ukrainian fighter pilot, known as the “Ghost of Kyiv”, was killed in a battle last month after shooting down as many as 40 Russian aircraft, the Times of London reported.