He is called “The Ghost of Kyiv” or “Ghost of Kyiv” in English.
The unknown MiG-29 Fulcrum pilot is hailed for having shot down as many as six Russian planes during the Kyiv attack on Thursday this week.
But “no one” knows who he is, or if he actually exists.
The Ghost Pilot
Videos claiming that the so-called ghost pilot had single-handedly shot down several Russian fighter jets began to spread on the first day of the Russian invasion.
The six planes that were supposed to have been shot down by the “Ghost” were two Russian Su-35 planes, two Su-25 planes, one Su-27 plane and a MiG-29.
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The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense hints at one facebookinnlegg that the “Ghost from Kyiv” may be one of dozens of experienced, retired pilots who have been called back to serve in the Ukrainian army.
– Who knows, maybe one of them is the aviator in a MiG-29 aircraft?
Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army, Valerii Zaluzhnyi claimed in a facebookinnlegg Thursday that at least six Russian planes and two helicopters had been shot down during the first day.
Spillsimulator
On Friday, the Ukrainian army also shared a video that set fire to the “Ghost from Kyiv” rumors. The video shows a fighter jet being shot down, and was titled:
“The pilot of Ukraine’s armed forces shot down a Russian plane.”
But according to the gaming website Game Rant “Ghost from Kyiv” videos have been exposed as fake. They must have been filmed in the game «Digital Combat Simulator» (DCS).
FALSE: The video shows a fighter jet being shot down by another fighter jet. But according to the gaming website Game Rant, these images come from a gaming simulator. Photo: Screenshot
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The one video that has been linked to “Ghost from Kyiv” is said to have shown a MiG-29 aircraft that shot down a Russian Sukhoi aircraft with an air missile.
But the video must have been taken from a YouTube clip that was filmed in the aforementioned flight simulator, according to Game Rant.
So who – or what – is really “The Ghost from Kyiv”?
Hiking history
According to the US website Task & Purposewhich primarily writes about the United States Armed Forces, it may be a so-called urban legend – a hiking story.
– Runs down immediately
At the same time, former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko claims that the “Ghost from Kyiv” is a real person.
In the photo – the MiG-29 pilot. The same “Ghost of Kiev”.
It causes terror in enemies and pride in Ukrainians 🇺🇦
He has 6 victories over Russian pilots!
With such powerful defenders, Ukraine will definitely win! pic.twitter.com/GJLpcJ31Si
– Petro Poroshenko (@poroshenko) February 25, 2022
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In a post on Twitter, Poroshenko writes that the picture shows “The Ghost”.
– It creates fear in the enemy and pride in the Ukrainians. He has six victories over Russian pilots! With such strong defenders, Ukraine will definitely win, writes Poroshenko.
– 99.9 percent bullshit
Task & Purpose describes the legend of “The Ghost from Kyiv” as an ingenious digital story that suddenly became a useful propaganda narrative for the grassroots.
– Every little atom in my body tells me that this story is 99.9 percent bullshit. But among gruesome photos and videos of Russian planes allegedly firing missiles at the civilian population, I want to believe this – and I know I’m not alone in that, writes the author of the article.
– Willing to risk his life
The videos about the ghost pilot have been retweeted thousands of times, according to Task & Purpose.
– “The ghost from Kyiv” is perhaps a ghost of the imagination, which has been created out of three incoherent tweets. But that does not make what he represents to the people of Ukraine less real: defiant opposition in the face of a certain doom. Maybe, in that sense, the “Ghost from Kyiv” is real enough – for now.
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