Russian army’s nightmare ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ killed in battle after shooting down 40 jets
KYIV: A Ukrainian fighter pilot known as the ‘Ghost of Kyiv’, who was the nightmare of the Russian army, was killed in battle. The identity of the mysterious pilot, often called by Ukrainians as their ‘guardian angel’ has been revealed as Major Stepan Tarabalka. The 29-year-old pilot’s identity was revealed following his death.
Tarabalka was killed on March 13 while battling the Russian troops on a MiG-29 fighter jet. However, information about his death was released only recently. Ukrainian people called Tarabalka their guardian angel after he gained worldwide attention for shooting down 10 Russian aircrafts on the first day of the invasion. Since, information about him was kept secret, he became a mysterious man and came to be known as the Ghost of Kyiv. He was posthumously awarded Ukraine's top medal for bravery in combat, the Order of the Golden Star, by the Ukraine government.
People call him the Ghost of Kyiv. And rightly so — this UAF ace dominates the skies over our capital and country, and has already become a nightmare for invading Russian aircrafts. pic.twitter.com/lngfaMN01I
Major Tarabalka, who was born in a working-class family of western Ukraine in a small village, had wanted to become a pilot since childhood. Following which, he joined the Ukraine army after completing higher education. He is survived by his wife Olenia and eight-year-old son Yarik.