Ukraine admits ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ fighter pilot is a myth
By ARIJETA LAJKA
Associated Press
On social media, the “Ghost of Kyiv” was a military hero, an ace fighter pilot hailed for supposedly shooting down multiple Russian planes. The tales began just days into the war and circulated for months, bolstered by Ukrainian official accounts. But on Saturday, Ukrainian authorities admitted that the legendary pilot was a myth. The country’s Air Force wrote on Twitter that the “Ghost of Kyiv” “embodies the collective spirit of the highly qualified pilots of the Tactical Aviation Brigade who are successfully defending” the region.