Rumors spread of heroic Ukrainian 'Ghost of Kyiv' fighter pilot downing 6 Russian jets

As Ukrainians continue to fight back against Russian military forces, the reported downing of several enemy fighter jets has given birth to a popular rumor of a single, heroic MiG-29 fighter pilot shielding them in the skies.

Alex Hollings, editor of military hardware news site Sandboxx News reported the story Friday on his popular aviation show, ‘Airpower.’ Hollings, who has been granting numerous interviews about the military showdown in Ukraine, reports that while the Ghost of Kyiv rumor remains uncorroborated, the Ukrainian government has confirmed the downing of seven Russian jets.

The reported downing of several Russian fighter jets has given birth to a popular rumor giving Ukrainians hope #UkraineUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/SaBoPybmGE

— ADN America (@AmericaAdn) February 26, 2022

With the help of repeated online postings, the legend has begun to spread like wildfire throughout the country as the Ukrainian people continue to demonstrate fearless resistance against their Russian invaders. One posting published by Airpower said, “Apparently there’s a Ukrainian Fulcrum pilot who’s already chalked off six air-to-air kills. 2x SU-35, 1x MiG 29, 2x SU-25. He is being called the Ghost of Kyiv. Godspeed, and happy hunting.”

Another posting has actually been published by the official Twitter page of the Ukrainian Armed Forces @ArmedForcesUkr. 

Hollings reported, “This ghost of Kyiv has been credited with shooting down at least six Russian fighters in a single day, among them, some of Russia’s most capable and advanced platforms. According to unconfirmed reports, this single MiG-29 has shot down on SU-27, MiG-29, two MiG-25s, and two MiG-35 Flanker-E jets.”

Hollings said that although the story seems improbable, it is not impossible.

In 2019, it was reported that Ukraine maintained a fleet of about 37 MiG-29 jets, which are 57 feet long with a wingspan of just over 37 feet. They are powered by a pair of RD-33 turbofan engines, which can each produce 18,340 pounds of thrust under afterburner, making the 9G fighter capable of speeds of about Mach 2.25. The MiG-29 carries seven weapons stations, three under each wing and a single hardpoint on the jet’s centerline. The jet also carries a single 30mm autocannon with 150 rounds.

“As unlikely as this Ghost of Kyiv may be, there are some glimmers of hope that there could be some truth behind the rumors,” Hollings reporter, pointing to a video that was shared by the Ukrainian military on Twitter, purportedly of a MiG-29 shooting down a Russian fighter jet—a SU-27 or SU-35.

Hollings says there are some questions about the veracity of the footage of the air combat, however. He says that downing six enemy fighters would require the Ghost to have successfully fired its six missiles or quickly rearmed in between shooting down the enemy fighters. He also says the MiG-29 is similar to the fighter jets Russian pilots fly, which makes it harder to believe they would be so ineffective against a jet whose maneuvering capabilities are familiar to them.

Still, the military hardware journalist conceded the story is not impossible and added a personal note that he doesn’t personally feel it makes a difference whether six Ukrainian fighter pilots shot down one jet each or one-shot them all.

“Could the Ghost of Kyiv be real?” Hollings asked as he closed his Airpower report. “Yeah. Although to be totally frank, it doesn’t seem incredibly likely. But to be honest with you, maybe it doesn’t matter. Regardless of whether a single pilot shot down six Russian fighters yesterday or six different Ukrainian pilots each shot down one, these men and women are fighting for the very fate of their country. That warrants respect whether they’re fighter aces or not. But as far as this fan of both aviation and democracy is concerned, I too want to believe in the Ghost of Kyiv.

Is the Ghost of Kyiv real? As Ukrainian forces continue to fight against invading Russian forces, perhaps time will tell.