Ukraine’s fighter ace known as the ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ was killed in action last month, the Ukrainian authorities now revealed.
29-year-old Major Stepan Tarabalka sparked fear among Russian air forces and inspired his comrades with his astonishing kill count after taking to the skies to defend his homeland.
Since the beginning of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Tarabalka, who became known as the Ghost of Kyiv, reportedly shot down more than forty Russian planes.
The father-of-one, however, met his end on March 13 when his MiG-29 was shot out of the sky while battling an “overwhelming” force.
“People call him the Ghost of Kyiv. And rightly so — this UAF [Ukrainian Air Force] ace dominates the skies over our capital and country, and has already become a nightmare for invading Russian aircraft,” the Ukrainian authorities previously said of the young pilot.
Following the death of Ukraine’s fighter ace, it has come to light that Tarabalka had a wife, Olenia, and an 8-year-old son named Yarik.
Local authorities also insist that the fighter ace brought down at least forty Russian planes since the beginning of the invasion and before his premature death.
The hero pilot’s mother, Nathalia, has since also spoken out and revealed that her son had dreamt of becoming a pilot ever since he was a young child.
“He would always watch the paratroopers in their air exercises. And he would run in their direction to try to see where they landed. Since early childhood, he always dreamed of the sky, about flying higher than the clouds,” she expressed.
Our thoughts are with Tarabalka’s family and friends during these challenging times.
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