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Ghost of Kyiv

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Ghost of Kyiv
Allegiance Ukraine
Service / branch Ukrainian Air Force
Battles / warsRusso-Ukrainian War

The Ghost of Kyiv (Template:Lang-uk)[1] is the nickname given to an unconfirmed MiG-29 Fulcrum flying ace credited with shooting down six Russian planes in the Kyiv offensive on 24 February 2022.[1][2] According to Security Service of Ukraine, he has shot down 10 Russian jets as for February 27th[3].

The Ghost of Kyiv is likely an urban legend,[4] but their status was credited as a major morale boost for the Ukrainian population.[4]

History

Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29

Videos on social media began widely circulating of fighter jets in Ukraine on the first day of the Russian invasion in February 2022, claiming of a single pilot who took down multiple Russian jets.[5] A possible or legendary pilot of a МіG-29, nicknamed the "Ghost of Kyiv" by the Ukrainian public, supposedly won six air fights in the sky of Kyiv during the first 30 hours of the invasion. The six planes are reported as two Su-35 planes, two Su-25 planes, a Su-27 plane and a МіG-29 plane.[6][7][8] If the ace does exist, they would be the first recorded fighter ace of the 21st century, as well as an Ace in a Day.[9]

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence claims that, should the downings be confirmed, the Ghost of Kyiv could be one of dozens of experienced pilots of military reserve who urgently returned to the Armed Forces of Ukraine after Russia invaded.[10] In a tweet, it referred to the Ghost of Kyiv as "the air avenger".[11] However, in a claim by Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, he said he could only confirm a total of six Russian planes downed on the first day of fighting in Ukraine, though there may have been more.[2]

No official Ukrainian authority or news outlet has independently verified the Ghost of Kyiv. A former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko posted a tweet of a photograph of a fighter pilot, claiming it to be the Ghost of Kyiv, who Poroshenko said was real.[12][13]

Morale

The Ghost of Kyiv has been credited as a morale booster for Ukrainians, to bolster optimism in the face of Russian invasion.[14] The urban legend is likely not a deliberate creation,[2] with the stories being shared by regular Ukrainian people on social media before official Ukrainian media accounts alluded to the pilot in a regular update.[11]

Computer-generated footage of a dogfight and downing featuring the Ghost of Kyiv has been made in the 2013 video game Digital Combat Simulator and uploaded by a YouTube user. The uploader openly stated in the description that the footage was not real and was merely a tribute to the Ghost of Kyiv, real or fake, to keep fighting. The video was also shared by the official Twitter account of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[2] The video was then uploaded to Twitter and spread widely, with Snopes clarifying that it was faked.[15][16]

Task & Purpose argued that while it was highly unlikely there were even six air-to-air takedowns in total, given their rarity in the 21st century and Ukraine's strong missile defense, the Ghost of Kyiv was "real enough" as the spirit of the Ukrainians.[4] Tom Demerly of The Aviationist argued that the Ghost of Kyiv is an "example of bizarre distortions...amplified by the chaos of war".[17]

Similar to the Ghost of Kyiv, on 26 February 2022, social media reports of a Ukrainian ground forces soldier dubbed the Ukrainian Reaper, who supposedly killed over twenty Russian soldiers in combat alone, emerged.[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "'Привид Kиєва': Пілот міг-29 за 30 годин здобув 6 повітряних перемог над Окупантом" [‘Ghost of Kyiv’: Mig-29 Pilot Won 6 Air Victories Over the Occupier in 30 Hours]. 5 Kanal (Ukraine) (in Ukrainian). 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Van Brugen, Isabel (25 February 2022). "'Ghost of Kyiv' Ukraine fighter pilot becomes the stuff of legend". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Legendary Ukrainian pilot has already shot down 10 jets". 5 Kanal (in Ukrainian). 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ a b c Keller, Jared (25 February 2022). "'The Ghost of Kyiv' is the first urban legend of Russia's invasion of Ukraine". Task & Purpose. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  5. ^ Miller, Daniel (25 February 2022). "Who is the 'Ghost of Kyiv'? Tale of Ukrainian fighter pilot trends on social media". Fox 2 Detroit. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  6. ^ "The Ghost of Kyiv, Ukraine's urban legend of a hero ace pilot". Marca. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  7. ^ Nelson, David (25 February 2022). "Ghost of Kyiv: unconfirmed Ukrainian MiG-29 pilot credited with six kills". Diario AS. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  8. ^ "Ukrainians call unidentified fighter pilot 'Ghost of Kiev' after dogfight videos surface". The National. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Is 'Ghost of Kyiv' real? Ukrainian military tweets on mystery MiG-29 pilot". The Week. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  10. ^ "🛩🛩🛩🛩 До строю авіації... - Міністерство оборони України" [To the air force ... - Ministry of Defense of Ukraine]. Facebook (in Ukrainian). Ministry of Defence (Ukraine). 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Ukraine is boosting morale with the urban legend of the Ghost of Kyiv, a mysterious fighter ace". inews. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  12. ^ "Who is the 'Ghost of Kyiv'? The ace pilot giving hope to Ukrainians". WION. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  13. ^ "Former Ukraine president confirms the 'Ghost of Kyiv' is real". MARCA. 26 February 2022. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  14. ^ Bhalla, Abhishek (26 February 2022). "Ghost of Kyiv: A war hero's folklore in Ukraine or propaganda?". India Today. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  15. ^ Gach, Ethan (26 January 2022). "'Ghost Of Kyiv' Fighter Pilot Blowing Up Russian Aircraft In Trending Clip Actually From Video Game". Kotaku. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  16. ^ Evon, Dan (25 February 2022). "Is This 'Ghost of Kyiv' Video Real?". snopes.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  17. ^ Demerly, Tom (25 February 2022). "The 'Ghost of Kyiv', The Missing Mega-Plane, A Rogue Air India flight and a Samurai: Welcome to the Fog of War". The Aviationist. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  18. ^ "If you liked the 'Ghost of Kyiv', you will love the 'Ukrainian Reaper'". MARCA. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
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