"Ghost Of Kyiv" Dies In Battle After Shooting Down 40 Russian Jets, Identity Revealed

The “Ghost of Kyiv”, identified as Major Stepan Tarabalka, gained worldwide fame after shooting down 10 Russian aircraft on the first day of the war.

A Ukrainian fighter pilot, known as the “Ghost of Kyiv”, was killed in a battle last month after shooting down as many as 40 Russian aircraft, the Times of London reported. The publication also identified the brave pilot as Major Stepan Tarabalka, a 29-year-old father of one, as the war hero.

The UK newspaper also said that the Tarabalka, flying a MiG-29, was shot down March 13 while battling an “overwhelming” number of enemy forces.

The fighter pilot was posthumously awarded Ukraine’s top medal for bravery in combat, the Order of the Golden Star, according to his family quoted by the Times. He was also given the title of the Hero of Ukraine.

His helmet and goggles are now set to be auctioned in London, according to the Times.

Tarabalka gained worldwide fame after shooting down 10 Russian aircraft on the first day of the invasion. “People call him the Ghost of Kyiv. And rightly so,” the Ukrainian government had said in a tweet last month.

According to the Times, Major Tarabalka was born in a working-class family of western Ukraine in a small village named by Korolivka and wanted to become a pilot since he was a child.

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“Ghost Of Kyiv” Dies In Battle After Shooting Down 40 Russian Jets, Identity Revealed

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