The mysterious Ukrainian war hero hailed as the “Ghost of Kyiv” not only didn’t die in combat, but also wasn’t real, the Ukrainian military has said.
The unsubstantiated tale about an anonymous Ukrainian fighter jet pilot who allegedly took down six Russian warplanes in one day has been circulating on social media since the early days of Russia’s full-scale military offensive against Ukraine. The story gained major media attention and was perpetuated by official Ukrainian social media channels, including Twitter accounts of the Ukrainian government and former president Petro Poroshenko.
“People call him the Ghost of Kyiv, and rightly so,” Ukrainian government wrote on Twitter on Feb. 27. “This UAF ace dominates the skies over our capital and country, and has already become a nightmare for invading Russian aircrafts.”
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