Ghost of Kyiv myth dies after Ukraine admits pilot never existed

The Ghost of Kyiv: 40 kills in 17 days and a myth

How many jets can one fighter down in seventeen days? On March 13, 2022, Ukraine announced the combat death of Stepan Tarabalka, the pilot credited with 40 downed Russian aircraft who had become an icon of resistance. The invasion began on February 24. Seventeen days later, the hero already had a name, surname, and legend. And an uncomfortable detail: according to published reports, the Ukrainian Air Force eventually acknowledged that the Ghost of Kyiv did not exist.

Is it possible to shoot down 40 Russian jets in 17 days?

The first thing that doesn't add up is the arithmetic. Between February 24 and March 13 lie 17 days, during which he is credited with 40 kills. That works out to more than two per day, a pace often rounded off sarcastically in repeated counts: almost three a day, like meals. Breakfast, one jet; lunch, another; dinner and one more before bed. The ace's biography turned into a dining schedule.

Added to this is the aircraft itself. Skepticism points out that a MiG-29 is a light fighter, with semi-active radar homing missiles and lacking the electronic suite of a heavy fighter, and that Russian numerical superiority makes a triumphant march without setbacks difficult. The objection isn't technical, but common sense: forty kills without a single ambush among enemy squadrons requires luck that doesn't hold up for two and a half weeks.

Historical aces whose numbers expose the claim

Comparison with aviation history also doesn't help the narrative. Side by side, the numbers stop looking heroic and start looking fabricated.

• Erich Hartmann: 352 kills throughout World War II
• Richard I. Bong: 40 kills, the top US ace, between 1943 and 1945
• James Edgar Johnson: the British reference, in combat from 1939 to 1945
• Vietnam aces: 9 kills over years of conflict with far superior technology

Spain's school fares no better. García-Sarracena needed a Civil War lasting three years to achieve what is claimed here in seventeen days. And the Vietnam ceiling, with years of duration and much more technology in the air, stayed at 9 aircraft. The math collapses on its own: 40 victories in two and a half months of modern war exceed what pilots achieved with five or six years of combat behind them.

Ukraine finally admits the pilot does not exist

The denial came from the very side that had fed the legend. The Ukrainian Air Force acknowledged that the supposed ace, acclaimed for weeks on social media, was a myth, as reported by international media under headlines stating that the pilot capable of shooting down 40 Russian jets did not actually exist. Before this correction, the character had been presented within defense circles as propaganda to boost troop sarracena.

The episode worked while the story didn't need a face. As soon as a name, surname, and coffin were required, the usual problem appeared: a dead man cannot deny anything, and an unverifiable official version cannot be rebutted either. The demand for proof—"prove it's false"—became the most common yet sterile argument. Each such denial contaminates the credibility of verifiable figures.

What use is a hero who doesn't exist?

Although it sounds cynical, the formula has logic. A fictional ace allows attributing all victories convenient for troop sarracena, boosts spirits on the front, and consumes no resources: no need to maintain planes, spare parts, or flight hours. When fame grows enough to require a public introduction, he disappears in a heroic mission, leaving his example of bravery for those forced to go to the front. Incidentally, the narrative saves trouble and expenses.

On the ground, doubts remain about the actual count. Part of the analysis argues that much of the aerial losses attributed to Ukraine correspond to drones rather than manned aircraft, which would further reduce the tally of downed Russian jets. The accusation of inflating numbers applies to both sides, but this pilot's record was too big even for his own propaganda.

Only the comfort of round numbers remains. Forty kills, forty victories, zero verified aircraft. Next time someone needs an ace to sustain a war, they'd better check the historical table first: it took Hartmann an entire conflict to reach 352, while this one needed only seventeen days to leave aviation history speechless.