--- title: "Ukrainian military confirms ‘The Ghost of Kyiv’ is made up" description: "\"The Ghost of Kyiv\" is officially a made up, according to the Ukrainian military, who dismissed a report on the pilot's identity." date: "2022-04-30" modified: "2022-04-30" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/ghost-of-kyiv-named-killed/" categories: - "Aircraft" - "Around the World" - "Fighter Aircraft" - "News" - "Russia" - "Tech & Tactics" - "Ukraine" --- # Ukrainian military confirms ‘The Ghost of Kyiv’ is made up ![]() *A Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet. (Task & Purpose photo illustration)* The viral tale of the so-called [“Ghost of Kyiv” — a lone Ukrainian ace fighter pilot credited with at least six kills ]()in the skies, with some claims putting the number up to 40 — has been officially denounced by the Ukrainian military after a pilot who died in March was identified as the Ghost by multiple media outlets, including The Times of London. “The Ghost of Kyiv is alive and *embodies a collective image* of the highly qualified pilots of the tactical aviation brigade successfully defending Kyiv and the surrounding region,” Yuriy Ignat, a Ukrainian Air Force spokesman, [told]() The London Times, after the paper, citing “Ukrainian sources,” identified the pilot as Maj. Stepan Tarabalka and reported he had been shot down on March 13 while fighting “overwhelming” enemy forces. The Ukrainian military denied those claims. https://twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1520466816816013314 The urban legend of the “Ghost” spread fast over social media early in the war, with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense even tweeting out a video it claimed showed the pilot beating a Russian jet. The footage was later revealed to be from a flight simulator. As Jared Keller noted at the time, it seemed like the spectral pilot was just a [modern urban legend]() for the digital age — and he was right. Notably, while Ukraine’s denial of the ‘Ghost’s’ existence is new, news of Tarabalka’s death is not. [NPR reported]() on the pilot’s demise in March and even interviewed his parents. He is buried in the town of Korolivka. However, officials and family members who spoke with NPR’s Eric Westervelt made no mention of the Ghost of Kyiv or claimed he was Tarabalka. Westervelt noted that Tarabalka had flown sorties in 2014 during the initial fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas region. His kill count in the skies has not been disclosed, although Ghost or not, it’s [incredibly unlikely]() he got the 40 mythical kills of the viral legend. Meanwhile, Ukraine has been appealing to Western nations for more arms and weapons, including new planes. This past week NATO pilots [scrambled several times]() to intercept Russian jets flying over the Black and Baltic seas. The incidents were resolved peacefully. ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **Tom Hanks will continue his** [**absolute domination of World War II entertainment**]() - [**The Army has picked Sig Sauer for its**]() **new Next Generation Squad Weapon** - **This Russian tank tells us** [**something about the invasion of Ukraine**]() - [**The Marine Corps’ plan to redesign the force will only end up breaking it**]() **Want to write for Task & Purpose?** [**Click here**]()**. Or check out the latest stories on** [**our homepage.**]() ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()