War in Ukraine: the “Ghost of Kyiv”, supposed nightmare fighter pilot of the Russians, announced dead

The “Times” echoes the disappearance of this mysterious Ukrainian fighter pilot, who would have shot down no less than forty enemy planes, but whose exploits have never been able to be precisely authenticated.

Many rumors whistle and persist about the “ghost of Kyiv”. At the dawn of the conflict, when the Russian armed forces surrounded the Ukrainian capital, this mysterious Ukrainian fighter pilot would have shot down no less than six aircraft aboard his MiG-29, without the authenticity of his exploit being able to be verified. No matter: Ukraine had one of its war heroes there.

Friday, the Times announced his death in combat, all the same crediting him with some forty Russian planes on his list, until he himself was shot down on March 13 while fighting a number “crushing” of enemy forces, according to the British newspaper. the Times even reveals his identity, unknown until now: Stepan Tarabalka, 29 years old, married and father of an eight-year-old son.

Proven or not, his exploits were quickly relayed by the Ukrainian government, certainly to motivate Ukrainian resistance at the start of the conflict. “People call him the Ghost of Kyiv. And rightly”had hastened to tweet the official account of the Ukrainian army, claiming, with video support, that he was “already become a nightmare for Russian invasion planes”. Except that the video in question is actually taken from a video game – Digital combat simulator (DCS World) – which allows you to reproduce virtual but ultra-realistic aerial combat, says Check news in a previous article on the subject.

These images were originally posted on YouTube on February 25. The title of the video speaks for itself: “The Ghost of Kyiv: Battle Between a Ukrainian MiG29 and a Simulated Russian Su27 on DCS World.” In legend, the author of the simulation is even more explicit about his intentions. It thus indicates: “This movie is taken from DCS, but it was created as a tribute to the ‘Ghost of Kyiv’. If it exists, may God keep it. If he’s fake, I pray there’s more like him.”

Later, the Ukrainian General Staff tweeted another equally enigmatic photo of what appeared to be the pilot in the cockpit of his MiG-29 aircraft, face covered, captioned: “Hello, occupant, I come to seek your soul!”

Decorated posthumously

These gray areas make many people still wonder if this “ghost” – who was sometimes called Vladimir Makarov, or Vladimir Abdonov – is really real. In any case, the American public radio NPR questioned the parents of Stepan Tarabalka shortly after his death, without the latter being able to give any details as to his exact function or any clue about the missions in which their son would have participated. . “We know he was flying on a mission. And he accomplished the mission, his task. Then he didn’t come back. This is all the information we have”said his father.

The latter are a bit more talkative when it comes to evoking his childhood. They explained that it was while growing up near a military airfield in the village of Korolivka, a town west of Kyiv, that their son began to dream of becoming a fighter pilot. “He was always watching the paratroopers in their aerial exercises. And he was running towards them to try to see where they had landed.remembers his mother Nahtalia at the New York Post. According to his family, Tarabalka was posthumously awarded the Order of the Gold Star, Ukraine’s highest medal for gallantry in battle, and the title Hero of Ukraine. Finally, his helmet and goggles should soon be auctioned in London for charity, assures the Times.