While the war in Ukraine continues to rage on, stunning reports of acts of courage and bravery by Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have emerged.
However in times of war, some information can be easily twisted or misused, and one of these stories involves the so-called 'Ghost of Kyiv'.
When the war broke out, the general expectation among many experts in the West was that the Ukrainian armed services would have difficulty holding out against the might of the Russian advance.
As a result of this, false reports can spread quickly as hopeful people search for some good news.
Even with some false reports out there, the Russians have indeed so far failed to gain much of a foothold in Ukraine since they invaded and have not yet gained air superiority.
So why is this the case and does it have anything to do with the fabled Ghost of Kyiv?
Who is the 'Ghost of Kyiv'?
The Ghost of Kyiv is an unconfirmed fighter pilot who has supposedly downed a number of Russian jets, according to social media and the Ukrainian government.
The Ghost is estimated to have shot down up to ten Russian jets from his MiG-29 fighter jet, but the social media claims are yet to be independently verified. If the rumours are true, it would make them likely the first pilot to achieve this in the 21st century.
Is the Ghost of Kyiv real?
The reports of the Ghost of Kyiv are unconfirmed and unlikely to be true, but that hasn't stopped even Ukrainian officials from jumping on the rumours.
In a tweet, the Defence of Ukraine said: "People call him the Ghost of Kyiv. And rightly so – this UAF ace dominates the skies over our capital and country, and has already become a nightmare for invading Russian aircraft."
It is understandable that Ukraine would want to promote the idea, both to attract Ukrainian civilians to join the fight against Russia and to boost morale.
How did the tale of the Ghost of Kyiv start?
Reports emerged of the incredible feat on social media, claiming that the Ghost had shot down six Russian planes in the first 30 hours of the invasion.
A video released on Ukraine's official Twitter said: "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.
"To become an ace pilot, you need to shoot down five planes. And the Ghost of Kyiv shot twice as many.
"And although it is still unknown who is piloting the Ukrainian MiG-29 plane and whether he is responsible for the 10 downed Russian planes, Ukrainians are grateful to this hero with brass balls, who’s having Russian aircraft for breakfast."
Some of the footage that was claimed to be the Ghost on social media was actually revealed to be footage from a 2008 video game called Digital Combat Simulator. This was viewed over five million times.
Reuters Fact Check said: "A vertical video shared online does not show a Ukrainian fighter jet shooting down a Russian plane, but comes from the videogame DCS."
