Whatever Happened to the Ghost of Kyiv?
“The ghost of Kyiv is a superhero-legend, whose character was created by Ukrainians!”
~Facebook Page of the Ukrainian Air Force Command 30 April, 2022
With these words, the legend of the Ghost of Kyiv was put to rest. Social media groups and youtube comment sections were full of people sneering with triumph at any online stranger who had dared believe the legend. Even as early as April 2022, I could see the effect of Putin’s propaganda machine at work. There were people out there who didn’t want the Ghost to be true. It was not as if they thought there might be a more logical explanation. They acted as if it were some kind of liberal lie.
Already, there was talk of Ukraine inciting this war. Already, people believed most Ukrainians in the Donbas must be somehow suppressed by nazis. I ran into many of these people as I researched Ukraine and considered the story for my fictionalized account of the Ghost of Kyiv. A great deal of them could have been social media bots or paid trolls, but eventually the revised history of Putin reached a few of my family members through the likes of Tucker Carlson.
The lies ate at them until they believed them. Maybe this war was NATO’s fault. Maybe Putin had a right to be worried about his neighbors. Biden was in charge. It must be his fault. This could lead to nuclear war. Putin was crazy enough to do it. This would have never happened under Trump.
When these discussions too place, I was dismayed. It became clear to me that the myth of the Ghost wasn’t about whether a pilot in an outclassed Mig-29 had managed to shoot down six aircraft, including two highly advanced SU-35s.
The story of the Ghost of Kyiv is actually about whether or not Ukraine could defeat Russia. But the Ghost became a symbol of how to win a propaganda war. There is one fact of humanity a KGB Propaganda expert like Putin will never understand. Legends born of honor are far more powerful than lies born of fear.
The world has at least three real-life Ukrainian ace pilots of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade to thank for the legend of the Ghost of Kyiv. Each of them who each were awarded the Order of the Gold Star (Also referred to as the Hero of Ukraine medal). It is the Ukrainian equivalent to the medal of honor. The pilots are Major Stepan Tarabalka, Major Andrii “Juice” Pilshchykov, and Major Vadym “Karaya” Voroshylov. The Ghost of Kyiv is their story. I will be writing a piece on each pilot as a part of a four part series, so make sure you sign up for notifications so you don’t miss anything this week.
(This is Part 1 of 5 Subscribe and Return for The Next Entry Tomorrow, 9 March)
