‘Ghost of Kyiv’ who took down 10 planes, hailed as hero

'To become an ace pilot, you need to shoot down five planes. And the Ghost of Kyiv shot twice as many'

An unknown Ukranian air force pilot, who has been branded the "Ghost of Kyiv", has been hailed as a hero for allegedly shooting down 10 Russian planes. The pilot has been linked to ten confirmed hits since the start of Russia's invasion on Thursday morning. By Friday evening, the mystery aerial ace had reportedly shot down six Russian planes, and by February 26, that number had increased by four. https://twitter.com/Ukraine/status/1497834538843660291 The pilot was subsequently branded the "Ghost of Kyiv" and has since become an urban legend of sorts who is capable of impressive flight patterns and unique manoeuvres. Ukraine's official Twitter handle paid tribute to the soldier alongside a video of their flying. The caption read: "Ukraine probably not its first ace since World War II. This is the anonymous pilot of the MiG-29, nicknamed the Ghost of Kyiv. "In the first 30 hours of the Russian invasion in February 2022, he shot down six Russian military aircraft. As of February 26, 10 military planes of the occupiers [were shot down]. https://twitter.com/BarstoolChief/status/1497052726215200777 "To become an ace pilot, you need to shoot down five planes. And the Ghost of Kyiv shot twice as many." Unconfirmed reports claim the pilot shot down two SU-35s, one SU-27, one MiG-29, and two SU-25s. While it's not yet confirmed whether the same pilot shot down all those planes, the idea of the "Ghost" is quickly becoming viral, with soldier media posts dedicated to them. https://twitter.com/ForwardInk/status/1496977004897439755 Ukraine's official Twitter explained: "And although it is still unknown who is piloting the Ukrainian MiG-29 plane and whether he is responsible for the ten downed Russian planes, Ukrainians are grateful to this hero with brass balls, who's having Russian aircraft for breakfast. "God speed and happy hunting." elated links:

• 80-year-old Ukrainian man tries to enlist in army 'for his grandkids'
• Poland refuses to play World Cup play-offs with Russia in response to Ukraine invasion
• This is not our war': Young Russians are angry at Putin - and they want you to know