Real or Not, Story of 'Ghost of Kyiv' Fighter Who Shot Down 6 Russian Jets Gives Ukrainians Hope Amid War

Unconfirmed videos of a Ukrainian fighter jet that shot down six Russian aircraft have gone viral with many on social media dubbing the pilot as the ‘Ghost of Kyiv’. The story of this unknown war hero has the proportions of becoming an urban legend, with citizens of the war-hit country drawing hope and power from it.

The story started circulating after reports of a MiG-29 shooting down six Russian fighter jets in 30 hours came in. Many on the internet are saying the pilot may have become the “first 21st century fighter ace”. The fighter jet was spotted in numerous videos on the internet, but there is no confirmation on whether these are from the present ground situation in Ukraine.

According to aerial warfare terminology, an ‘ace’ is a pilot who has shot down at least five aircraft in combat.

Twitter users said the Ukrainian pilot shot a Russian Su-35. Social media has nicknamed him “Ghost of Kyiv” due to his “unknown status”, but many are saying the pilot may the first since World War II to achieve “ace status”.

A tweet by NEXTA, an eastern European media service, also said: “One #Ukrainian pilot in 30 hours shot down six #Russian airplanes, including the Su-35, according to the Center for Counteracting Disinformation.

A Ukrainian pilot of a MiG-29 shot down: 2хSU-35, 1хSU-27,1хMiG-29, 2хSU-25. In the network he was called “The Ghost of Kyiv”.”

Another information service called Visegrad 24 tweeted a video of the supposed Ukrainian fighter jet. “Reports are coming that a Ukrainian pilot has shot down 6 Russian Aircraft today and might have possibly become the first 21st century fighter ace. The pilot, known as “the Ghost of Kyiv” and his MiG-29 were seen in numerous videos from today.”

Despite the fact that there is no confirmation about the videos or the existence of the “Ghost of Kyiv, Ukrainians and other internet users are calling the story a morale booster and saying it has given many the motivation to fight back.

The Defence of Ukraine also tweeted saying, “Dozens of experienced military pilots from the captain to the general, who had previously been discharged from the reserve, are returning to the air force… Who knows, maybe one of them is the air avenger on the MiG-29, which is so often seen by Kyivites! Everything will be Ukraine!”

Former president Petro Poroshenko also promoted the viral story by posting an image of a pilot calling him the “Ghost of Kyiv”. He tweeted: “In the photo – the MiG-29 pilot. The same “Ghost of Kiev”. He terrifies enemies and makes Ukrainians proud. He has 6 victories over Russian pilots! With such powerful defenders, Ukraine will definitely win!”

Ukrainian ambassador to the European Union Mykola Tochytskyi also shared the story on Twitter. He tweeted: “One Ukrainian MiG-29 jet fighter pilot scored six victories in a single day in air battles with the Russians. He has been nicknamed as the “Ghost of Kyiv”. Another example of the willingness of the Ukrainian people to resist. The civilized world must help protect our freedom!”

Ukraine’s seat of power Kyiv has been under siege since Saturday. A series of blasts was heard to the west of the Ukrainian capital’s centre on Sunday, minutes after air raid sirens sounded. Ukrainian media also reported explosions and a gunfight in a nearby town.

According to Ukrainian news website Segodnya.ua, a bridge has been blown up near the town of Bucha west of Kyiv. It was unclear whether it had been bombed by Russian troops or destroyed by the Ukrainian side. Anton Herashchenko, an advisor to Ukraine’s interior minister, said fighting was underway in Bucha with Russian forces that were trying to advance towards Kyiv.

At least 198 Ukrainians, including three children, have been killed in the invasion, the head of the Ukrainian health ministry was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

Russian troops also entered Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv on Sunday, where fighting is underway, said the head of the regional administration. “The Russian enemy’s light vehicles broke into the city of Kharkiv,” Oleg Sinegubov said in a Facebook post. “The Ukrainian armed forces are eliminating the enemy.”

(With agency inputs)

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