The name of an “extraordinary” war pilot, known among the Ukrainians as the “Ghost of Kyiv” and who alone shot down 40 Russian warplanes, was revealed on Friday. He is Major Stepan Tarabalk, born 29 years ago in a village in the Ukrainian countryside.
It became clear from local media reports, whose name was never mentioned, that the pilot who was flying his MiG-29 aircraft on March 13th over Russian forces in Ukraine, was killed when it was shot down by Russian anti-aircraft forces that day, according to what Al-Arabiya.net summarizes. A report published by the British newspaper, The Times, said that his helmet and goggles are expected to be offered for sale at an auction that will be organized soon in London.
He left on earth a widow, with whom he had only one child
However, those who provided the newspaper with information regarding the pilot whose photo was published, did not provide it with more details, with the exception that the Ukrainian government published on “Twitter” a video clip showing an artist’s impression of him, saying that he shot down 6 Russian planes on the first day of the military operation in Ukraine.
They thought it was a myth and a fantasy
And the Ukrainians were, and still are, praising Stepan Tarabalka in the media, calling him a “hero” and sometimes calling him a “guardian angel” even though his identity was unknown to them, which led to speculation that his story was a myth and a fantasy, with the aim of raising morale. However, the “Ukrainian General Staff” has always insisted that he is real of flesh and blood, and on March 11, two days before his death, a picture of him was published while he was sitting in the cockpit of his plane, but his face was hidden with a helmet and an oxygen mask.
The picture published by the General Staff shows his helmet and mask, which are to be auctioned in London
All is known regarding the “Ghost of Kyiv”, who, following his death, received the first Ukrainian medal for courage in combat, in addition to the “Golden Star” medal, accompanied by the title of Hero of Ukraine, according to what Al-Arabiya.net has seen in Western media as well, that he is from a family belonging to a family. To a working class, its members were born in the small village of Korolivka in western Ukraine, and that he graduated from the “Kharkov National Air Force College” and left in the world a widow named Olenia, with whom he has one child, Yarik, who is barely 8 years old.
“Dreams to fly above the clouds”
After the death of the pilot pilot, the American radio NPR conducted an interview with his parents, in which his mother, Nahtalia, recounted how he used to watch MiGs in particular, and announced at an early age his desire to become a fighter pilot, “He was watching paratroopers training, and running in their direction to find out where Their landing… He had been dreaming since early childhood regarding the sky, to fly above the clouds,” according to her expression.
At the end of the interview, the parents hugged each other and shed tears
Evon, his father, a construction worker who spent most of this year with his wife in Portugal to make a living, said the Ukrainian military would currently not reveal any details regarding Stepan’s last mission or his death, “so all we know is that he was flying on a mission. longer,” he said.