Whatever Happened to the Ghost of Kyiv? (Part 2)The Ballad of the Vyacheslavs (Yerko and Rodionov)
A “Ghost” prepares to fly a Mirage 2000. Note the Paint Job.
When I began this Ukraine blog, I mentioned three pilots as critical to the story of the Ghost of Kyiv. Research has shown me there are so many more than three. When I completed my novella on the Ghost a year and a half ago, much of the information I have now did not exist. Each year, more information will come. By the time Ukraine has finally won this conflict, I hope Americans are the ones who express the gratitude that has been missing. Make no mistake, this conflict with Russia is as much our war as Ukraine’s. Never before has a battle been fought on such a scale by someone else on behalf of the people of the United States. When the war started on 24 February, 2024, I think everyone intuitively knew this. At this point, we have a lot of casualties to both Russian propaganda, and right wing media propaganda which creates a disillusionment of the place of leadership the Untied States has in the world.
I want to take people back to that first day of the war. Russia attempted an unprovoked surprise attack. They built up their forces claiming a training exercise. To be clear, nobody bought that excuse, but most intelligence agency talk was that this was all political posturing so that Putin could make certain demands and then withdrawal. Therefore, it was somewhat of a surprise for pilots like Lt. Col. Vyacheslav Yerko and others that they needed to scramble for their jets and retrograde to reserve bases scattered around west Ukraine.
The Russians target each Ukrainian Airbase with 30 missiles, for a total of 155. Vasylkiv Airbase sits about 40 km south of Kyiv, and its here the story of the Ghost truly begins—not with victory, but with sacrifice. In that initial attack, most aircraft that took off were unarmed. The Russian pilots had no way of knowing this, but if they discovered the retrograding aircraft had no teeth, the Ukrainians might be hunted down. 25-year-old fighter pilot Vyacheslav Rodionov covered his brothers from the air. He took off in his plane and diverted the enemy’s attention by heading for them in an attack azimuth while his squadron mates dispersed. The act cost him his life, and he was posthumously awarded the Order of the Gold Star (Ukrainian Medal of Honor). The 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade credit him with saving the entire brigade. (Rop, June 2023)
Vyacheslav Rodionov
Once the brigade refueled at their reserve bases and rearmed, they reentered the fray against the Russians. The pilots of the Russian Air Force had been told they already had air superiority, so when they encountered resistance, they fled. As an entire wave of Russian Aircraft retreated north to Belarus, it gave “Juice” Pilshchykov the idea to prey further on the fears of Russian pilots, and concoct the story of the Ghost of Kyiv. (See Part One Here: Andrii Pilshchykov - The Original Ghost. (Part 1) — Travis Hightower ).
Even though Juice wanted to use a legend as a weapon against the Russians, the story of an ace Ukrainian pilot taking down several advanced aircraft had a kernel of truth to it. Despite the social media debate over the meme, Russian pilots knew that Ukrainian Migs had terrorized their forces over Hostemel Airport just 25 kilometers north of Vasylkiv Air Base.
After the initial missile strikes, Russia sent a 700-man force riding in 24 Mil Mi-8 transport helicopters escorted by 10 attack helicopters. (A mixture of Mi-24 and Kamov Ka-52 gunships.) With the Russian escort fighters in retreat in the face of unexpected resistance, five Mig-29s of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade sliced through the formation and shot down 4 of the 34 helicopters. Lt. Colonel Yerko is credited with two of the confirmed Mi-24 kills.
Over the next 24 hours, a fierce battle raged in the sky. The Russian fighter pilots accepted they still had an enemy to fight, and the scrappy Ukrainians managed to close distance and engaged them at close range. They needed to nullify the long-range advantage of the Russian active radar missiles, and for the most part succeeded in making it to the merge with the Russians. The “Merge” is when long beyond-visual-range missile shots are no longer an option, and a more traditional turning dogfight popularized by Hollywood movies begins.
The only problem—the Ukrainians pilots are usually outnumbered by at least five to one in these engagements, and the Mig-29 does not hold much gas. This meant a tight rotation of two Ukrainian fighters against up to twenty Russians at a time, with most engagements ending in a Ukrainian retreat until the next pilots could join the fray.
In this savage environment, Yerko and the pilots of the 40th prevented any more reinforcements or aid from reaching the Hostemel Airport, and the Russians were forced to retreat. They had lost their quick-deploy field for laying siege to Kyiv, and would have to do it the hard way. And we all know how well that went. Yerko downed an SU-25 attack aircraft trying to provide close air support to Russian troops, and then the Russians finally outflanked him. It is unclear what type of fighters brought him down, but several sources report he was able to eject safely. Despite this, the Russians shot him in his parachute on the way down, most likely coming from ground fire at the airport. (Axe, December 2022)
The Ukrainian Air Force also credits Yerko with downing an SU-35. Since this kill is unconfirmed, I think it is a good bet Yerko was in a two versus one with SU-35s. At close range, he may have been able to pull it off, but it is also just as likely a Ukrainian SAM managed the SU-35 kill. Still, its clear Yerkos experience made him an ace, even if his true numbers did not.
I don’t have much on Yerko for a biography beyond this ballad, but he leaves behind a wife and two daughters and is yet another recipient of the honor “Hero Of Ukraine”. More importantly, he and Vyacheslav Rodionov are part of the true legacy of the Ghost of Kyiv and freedom for us all.
Lt. Col. Vyacheslav Yerko
Works Cited
Rop, Natalia (21 June 2023). The story of several dozen pilots who protected the skies of the capital in the first days of the full-scale war - NV reconstruction. The New Voice of Ukraine, Retrieved 24 March 2025.
Axe, David (9 December 2022) . Five Brave Ukrainian MiG Pilots Blunted the Russian Attack On Kyiv On Day One Of The War. Not All Of Them Survived. Forbes. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
Aviation Safety Network Archive of References Submitted by Users, Retrieved 24 March 2025
