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Ghost of Kyiv

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Ghost of Kyiv
Allegiance Ukraine
Service/branch Ukrainian Air Force
Battles/wars2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

The Ghost of Kyiv (Ukrainian: Привид Києва, romanized: Pryvyd Kyyeva[1]) is the nickname given to an unconfirmed MiG-29 Fulcrum flying ace who is credited with shooting down six Russian planes in the Kyiv offensive on 24 February 2022.[1][2] The Ghost of Kyiv is likely an urban legend[3] and not a real flying ace, but their status was credited as a major morale boost for the Ukrainian population.[3]

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.[4] 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.[5][6][7] 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.[8]

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.[9] In a tweet, it referred to the Ghost of Kyiv as "the air avenger".[10] 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]

A former Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, later posted a tweet of a photograph of a fighter pilot, claiming it to be the Ghost of Kyiv, who Poroshenko said was real.[11]

Morale

The Ghost of Kyiv has been credited as a morale booster for Ukrainians, to bolster optimism in the face of Russian invasion. 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.[10]

Fake footage of a dogfight and downing featuring the Ghost of Kyiv has been made in Digital Combat Simulator and uploaded by a YouTube user, openly stating 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.[12][2]

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 defence, the Ghost of Kyiv was "real enough" as the spirit of the Ukrainians.[3]

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.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "'ПРИВИД КИЄВА': 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). February 25, 2022. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Van Brugen, Isabel (February 25, 2022). "'Ghost of Kyiv' Ukraine fighter pilot becomes the stuff of legend". Newsweek. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Keller, Jared (February 25, 2022). "'The Ghost of Kyiv' is the first urban legend of Russia's invasion of Ukraine". Task & Purpose. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  4. ^ Miller, Daniel (February 25, 2022). "Who is the 'Ghost of Kyiv'? Tale of Ukrainian fighter pilot trends on social media". Fox 2 Detroit. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  5. ^ "The Ghost of Kyiv, Ukraine's urban legend of a hero ace pilot". Marca. February 25, 2022. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  6. ^ Nelson, David (February 25, 2022). "Ghost of Kyiv: unconfirmed Ukrainian MiG-29 pilot credited with six kills". Diario AS. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  7. ^ "Ukrainians call unidentified fighter pilot 'Ghost of Kiev' after dogfight videos surface". The National. February 25, 2022. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  8. ^ "Is 'Ghost of Kyiv' real? Ukrainian military tweets on mystery MiG-29 pilot". The Week. Archived from the original on 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  9. ^ "🛩🛩🛩🛩 До строю авіації... - Міністерство оборони України" [To the air force ... - Ministry of Defense of Ukraine]. Facebook (in Ukrainian). Ministry of Defence (Ukraine). February 25, 2022. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Ukraine is boosting morale with the urban legend of the Ghost of Kyiv, a mysterious fighter ace". inews. 2022-02-25. Archived from the original on 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  11. ^ "Former Ukraine president confirms the 'Ghost of Kyiv' is real". MARCA. 2022-02-26. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  12. ^ Dan Evon (2022-02-25). "Is This 'Ghost of Kyiv' Video Real?". snopes.com. Archived from the original on 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  13. ^ "If you liked the 'Ghost of Kyiv', you will love the 'Ukrainian Reaper'". MARCA. 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
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