‘Ghost of Kyiv’ war hero dies in battle after shooting down 40 Russian aircraft

A Ukrainian fighter pilot known as the Ghost of Kyiv was killed in battle last month after reportedly shooting down as many as 40 Russian aircraft, The Times reported.

After his death, the identity of the mysterious airman was revealed as Major Stepan Tarabalka, 29. According to media reports, he was killed when the MiG-29 he was flying was shot down on March 13 while fighting “overwhelming” enemy forces.

Tarabalka was hailed as a “guardian angel” by Ukrainians after the government credited him with taking down six Russian planes on the first day of the war. At that time, his identity was still under wraps. Perhaps due to the air of secrecy surrounding him, he became a fabled and enigmatic figure the Ghost of Kyiv.

“People call him the Ghost of Kyiv. And rightly so,” the official tweet by the Ukrainian government said, adding that he had “already become a nightmare for invading Russian aircraft.”

Ukraine’s General Staff later tweeted another picture of the ace fighter pilot in the cockpit of his MiG-29 jet with his face covered, captioned, “Hello, occupier, I’m coming for your soul!”

Major Tarabalka was posthumously awarded Ukraine’s top medal for bravery in combat, the Order of the Golden Star, with the title Hero of Ukraine. He is survived by his wife Olenia and eight-year-old son Yarik.

According to The Times, Major Tarabalka and was born in the small village of Korolivka in western Ukraine to a working-class family. He had wanted to be a pilot since he was a small child, as he used to see fighter jets zooming in the sky over his village.

Major Tarabalka’s parents said the Ukrainian military would not give them any details of his final flight or his death. “We know he was flying on a mission. And he completed the mission, his task. Then he didn’t return. That’s all the information we have,” his father Evon told the media.

Many had questioned whether the Ghost of Kyiv was real, wondering if he was a morale-boosting myth spawned by the Ukrainian government. Even Tarabalka’s parents had been unaware of his covert status. Sadly, it was only after his death that the world discovered the truth. Though the man is gone, his legend will endure.