The story of the “Ghost of Kyiv” began at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The story goes that on the first day of the invasion a brave Ukrainian pilot flying a MiG-29 managed to shoot down 5 possibly 10 Russian aircraft depending on the source. The action gained worldwide attention and the pilot became known as the “Gkost of Kyiv”. The pilot was Major Stepan Tarabalka who managed a total of 40 victories before being killed on March 13, 2022.