He is said to have shot down at least six Russian planes: A Ukrainian fighter pilot is celebrated as a war hero. There is no evidence of its existence or the accuracy of the story.
The war in Ukraine has only been going on for a few days, but the situation is already extremely confusing. Videos and information are circulating from both sides, especially on social media, the authenticity of which is often difficult to verify – and with which both Ukraine and Russia are pursuing their agendas at home and abroad.
A big topic among Ukrainians in the first days of the war was the so-called “Kyiv spirit”. Behind it is an unidentified Ukrainian fighter pilot who is said to have shot down at least six Russian planes with his fighter jet within just one day. He’s supposed to be flying a MiG-29. Videos are spreading on Twitter that are supposed to show corresponding fight scenes. In Ukraine – a country that is desperately fighting off its neighbor’s attack by any means necessary – the pilot is already considered a hero. But there is much to suggest that the story is not true at all.
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Ukraine War: Videos of the “Ghost of Kyiv” come from a computer game
The identity of the pilot is still unknown. Evidence that a single pilot actually took out that many Russian warplanes also does not exist. On the contrary, the videos that are circulating on the Internet and are supposed to show the “ghost of Kyiv” in action appear to be fake. A corresponding clip comes from the video game “Digital Combat Simulator”, a combat flight simulator. On Twitter, however, the scenes are sold as reality.
Well-known Ukrainians and the government are also involved. Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko tweeted a photo purporting to show the heroic pilot in his flight gear. “With such strong defenders, Ukraine will definitely win,” Poroshenko wrote.
And the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense also at least referred to the story on Twitter. In a tweet, the ministry reported the return of numerous fighter pilots previously released from the reserve. “Who knows, maybe one of them is the ghost in the MiG-29 that Kievans see so often,” it said.
Siege of Kyiv: Ukraine needs a hero
The pilot would be sure of his place in history: he would be the first ace pilot of the 21st century. This title is awarded to fighter pilots who shoot down five enemy planes during fighter missions. In this case, there are currently very few signs that this really happened. There is a high probability that the “ghost of Kyiv” is just a legend – but one that could certainly fulfill its task in the war. The supposed hero is already being celebrated on the Internet, and memes paying homage to the pilot are spreading on Twitter. Ukraine has an unknown superhero bringing hope to the suffering population.
The “spirit of Kyiv” is helping to unite the people and uphold the stamina for the war, which no one knows how long it will last or how many casualties it will cause. That seems to be what the government thinks the population needs in this situation, no matter how much truth there is to the story.
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Source: Stern
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