Major Stepan Tarabalka, who died in an air battle on March 13, 2022, is not the legendary "ghost of Kyiv" and did not shoot down 40 planes, Ukrainian Air Force Command reported in response to the spread of fake information.
"The ghost of Kyiv is a superhero-legend whose figure was created by Ukrainians! It is rather a collective image of the pilots of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Air Force, which protects the capitalʼs sky [than a person]l and suddenly appear where they are not expected, " the statement reads.
The Ukrainian Air Force also denied other rumors.
"Military pilots are not yet studying abroad [to fly] on the F-16, no matter how much we all want it. No official statement in this regard was published in the media, " the military said, adding that "American bombers do not fly over Ukraine either. "
The Air Force Command urged citizens not to disseminate unverified information of a military nature.
- Earlier, the British newspaper The Times published an article about Ukrainian pilot Stepan Tarabalko (pictured), whom the media called the "Ghost of Kyiv."