“The Ghost of kyiv”, the pilot who became the national hero of Ukraine, died in battle

His story became a legend as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine progressed. At the beginning of the war, a pilot of unknown identity, nickname “Ghost of kyiv”, encouraged millions of Ukrainians when recognizing his exploits. The first thing that spread was that aboard his MiG-29 he shot down 10 Russian planes at the start of the battle.

Now it is confirmed that the news that he is doing has greatly increased his work in the war: “The ghost of kyiv” lost his life in defense in Ukraineaccording to local reports.

The oldest Stepan Tarabalkaalso known as “The Ghost of kyiv”, died on the flying MiG-29 was shot down while fighting “overwhelming” enemy forcesannounced the mayor of Kolomyia Bogdan Stanislavsky.

He was 29 years old and became a cult at the beginning of the war. It is said to be patrolling the air in the Ukrainian capital.

Tarabalka, the man of a legend

Popular legend says he shot down six Russian planes the day the invasion began, knocking down more than 40 in total at the time of his death.

Commander Tarabalka became famous after the Ukrainian government shared a video on Twitter showing an artist’s impression of the pilot.

The tweet reads: “People call him the Ghost of kyiv. And rightly so: this UAF (Ukrainian Air Force) ace dominates the skies over our capital and our country, and has become a nightmare for planes . ”Russian conquerors.

Whether or not his figure is true, a lot of controversy is woven. Senior Ukrainian government officials insisted this was true, despite claims it was a myth put together to boost their country’s morale.

Suddenly, his figure became a cult. Many viral videos have spread online saying they show Ghost of kyiv, although they actually show planes in a video game.

Mayor Stanislavsky said: “Stepan fought for the will and freedom of our state. He protected the skies from enemies,” the report said. Glass. “Eternal memory and honor to our protector!”

The eldest Tarabalka was born into a working class family in the small town of Korolivka in western Ukraine, reports The Times. He graduated from Kharkiv National University of the Air Force. He lives with his wife Olenia and their eight -year -old son Yarik.

Following his death, Major Tarabalka was posthumously awarded Ukraine’s highest medal for bravery in battle, the Order of the Golden Star, with the title Hero of Ukraine.

Her parents gave an interview on NPR where her mother described posthumously how she saw MiG planes flying over her house when she was a child. From that moment on he decided to become a fighter pilot.

He told the publication through a translator: “He always watches the paratroopers at their aerial exercises.

“And I’ll run in their direction to try to see where they’ve landed.” From a young age, I always dreamed of the sky, flying higher than the clouds. “Nahtalia said she would fly to her hometown and tilt her. .wings in greeting after flight school.

Meanwhile, Commander Tarabalka’s father Evon, a construction worker, said the Ukrainian military would not give them any details about his last flight on which he was dying.