Meet the 'Ghost of Kyiv' - the Ukrainian fighter jet ace 'coming for Russia's souls'
11 March 2022, 17:00 | Updated: 11 March 2022, 17:05
The Ukrainian armed forces have published a picture of the legendary 'Ghost of Kyiv' who is claimed to have shot down more than 10 Russian planes.
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The Ukrainian pilot - pictured wearing a black visor and oxygen mask - has been celebrated on social media for his reported attacks on Russian aircraft.
Now he has been hailed by the Ukrainian armed forces, who shared a picture of the fighter jet ace on its official Facebook page.
The Ukrainian military warned the fighter jet is 'coming for Russia's soul' as they shared the image.
The picture doesn't show the 'Ghost of Kyiv's face, but it was captioned with a threatening message, which reads: "Hello, Russian non-human, I'm flying for your soul!"
Comments of praise flooded in for the pilot, with Ukrainians calling on God to protect their "defender".
"Clear sky to you, our falcon, God's help and protection! Glory to Ukraine!" one person wrote.
Another added: "May the angels fly with you. Glory to the heroes.
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"Привіт, російський нелюде, я лечу по твою душу!", - Привид Києва. "Hello, russian villain, I'm flying for your soul!" - the Ghost of Kyiv. #stoprussia
Posted by Генеральний штаб ЗСУ / General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Thursday, March 10, 2022
The unnamed pilot is reported to have shot down at least 10 Russian jets during Vladimir Putin's invasion, becoming a symbol of the country's courage.
In the photo, which has been captioned by the Ukrainian general staff as showing the 'Ghost of Kyiv', the MiG-29 pilot can be seen gesturing towards the jet's missiles.
There have been questions on social media as to whether the 'Ghost' is a mythical flying ace, or real, but the armed forces have captioned the picture with his nickname.
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Ukraine has called for a no-fly zone to be introduced over its skies, but there are fears NATO's involvement could lead to a Third World War.
Boris Johnson has reiterated that a no-fly zone will not be imposed amid the concerns.
