Ukrainian officials have finally admitted that the 'Ghost of Kyiv' never existed.
The fearsome fighter pilot who was said to have shot down more than 40 Russian planes since the beginning of the invasion was a fabricated "legend" all along, confirming what many had suspected.
Rumours of a mysterious pilot with an enormous bodycount had been promoted by the Ukraine government to boost morale, with the legend first shooting to fame thanks to a viral Twitter video showing an artist's impression of him.
"People call him the Ghost of Kyiv," the tweet posted on February 27 read.
"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."
Several videos claiming to show the Ghost of Kyiv went viral online, despite actually showing aircraft on a video game. He also appeared on merchandise like T-shirts and bags.
Many suspected the figure had been cooked up to inspire civilians to resist the Russian invasion, doubting his MiG-29 Fulcrum would have sufficient ammunition for the reported attack, but officials continued to insist he was real - until now.
Last week Major Stepan Tarabalka, a 29-year-old pilot who was shot down on March 13, was identified as the inspiration behind the mythical Ghost.
His accomplishments in battle appears to have been somewhat exaggerated, although he was certainly a distinguished war hero.
"The ghost of Kyiv is a superhero-legend, whose character was created by Ukrainians!" Ukraine's Air Force Command wrote on Facebook on Saturday.
"Hero of Ukraine Stepan Tarabalka is NOT 'Ghost of Kyiv' and he did NOT shoot down 40 planes."
Officials clarified that the moniker refers to all of Ukraine's heroic fighter pilots.
"The #GhostOfKyiv is alive. It embodies the collective spirit of the highly qualified pilots of the Tactical Aviation Brigade who are successfully defending #Kyiv and the region," the command tweeted.
Many are still keen to celebrate the legendary pilot even if he wasn't really a specific person.
"True or not, this is EXACTLY the kind of inspiring story the resistance needs right now," a Twitter user said in response to the news.
Major Tarabalka was from a working-class family and was born in the small village of Korolivka in western Ukraine, The Times reports.
He graduated from Kharkiv National University of the Air Force.
He leaves behind his wife Olenia and their eight-year-old son, Yarik.
Following his death Major Tarabalka was posthumously awarded Ukraine’s top medal for bravery in combat, the Order of the Golden Star, with the title Hero of Ukraine.
His parents gave an interview to NPR during which his mother, Nahtalia, described how he used to watch MiG jets flying over their house when he was a boy.
From that moment on he was determined to become a fighter pilot.
