Within hours, he had become a national hero.
The "
ghost of Kyiv
", the mysterious Ukrainian fighter pilot who shot down six Russian planes on the first day of the war, died last March during an air battle, Ukrainian sources tell the British daily
The Times
.
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It would be Major Stepan Tarabalka, who died on March 13 after his Mig-29 was shot down.
On March 25, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense tweeted to announce the death of this "
hero of Ukraine
", but without specifying that it was the "
ghost of Kiev
".
Ukrainian authorities credit him with more than 40 downed Russian aircraft.
On social networks, tributes flow in memory of this helmeted man who had become an effigy on several flags and the inspiration for various songs.
The Ukrainians described sometimes as a “
hero
”, sometimes as a “
guardian angel
” the pilot, whose identity has long been kept secret.
So much so that doubts existed as to its real existence.
The "
Ghost of Kyiv
" takes its nickname from a tweet by former President Petro Poroshenko who shared a photo of a face hidden under a helmet on February 25, with the mention: "
The Ghost of Kyiv
" (
the ghost of Kiev)
, which "
terrifies enemies and makes Ukraine proud
".
But the publication of this same photo well before the Russian invasion on the twitter account of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense in 2019 had raised questions.
Same observation concerning the video of a fighter plane shared by the ministry, which, according to
Reuters
, would actually be taken from a video game.
On March 11, the general staff of the
ghost
", en route to chase down the Russian invader.
Despite lingering doubts around the myth, Ukrainian sources "
remained adamant
" about
the "authenticity
" of the pilot, says the
Times
in its article published this Friday, April 29.
The 29-year-old was posthumously awarded the Order of the Gold Star medal, Ukraine's highest honor for gallantry in combat, as well as the title of Hero of Ukraine.
The
Times reports
the remarks of the parents of the pilot, who explain in an interview granted a few days after the death of their son to have had no information as to the context of his death.
“
We know he was flying on a mission.
And he accomplished his mission, his task.
Then he didn't come back.
That's all we have for information, really
”, they explain before talking about the times when, “
every time he had the chance, he would fly near our house and do a little aerobatic trick.
And everyone in the village, every house and all the surrounding villages knew that it was Stepan who was stealing
”.
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Stepan Tarabalka was married with one child.
Ukrainian sources contacted by the
Times
said his helmet and goggles would soon be auctioned in London, without giving further details.
