Even Tgcom24, like many other newspapers, believed in the validity of the news reported by the London newspaper. But we were wrong. The “Times” has in fact denied the news. And today we too apologize to you.
The pilot is not the “ghost”
– The London newspaper had said that the news of the death of the “ghost” had been confirmed by the Ukrainian authorities, explaining that the pilot-hero was Stepan Tarabalka in fact. The pilot really died in the war on March 13th, leaving behind his wife Olenia and son Yarik. But he is not the legendary “ghost”, author of the shooting down of 40 Russian planes. And, after the rain of denials arrived, the “Times” ran for cover: the title of its article was “The Phantom of Kiev dies in battle after shooting down 40 Russian planes”. It became “The Phantom of Kiev is alive in all pilots fighting for Ukraine, says the Air Force”.
The death of Tarabalka and the Ukrainian authorities
– On the other hand, the Tarabalka affair has been talked about for weeks. When the news of his death was given, on March 25, already at the time by comparing his name to the identity of the “ghost”, the denial of the adviser to the Ukrainian president Oleksiy Arestovych immediately arrived. The general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces had communicated the death of the pilot without mentioning any connection with the legendary figure.
Ukrainian reporter: “The ghost is a legend”
– Finally, after the news published by the “Times”, the war reporter Illia Ponomarenko of the “Kyiv Independent” published his denial on Twitter with a statement from the Ukrainian army calling for a stop to the hoaxes on the “ghost”, which is and a legend remains, “an image of the pilots of the 40th Air Force Aviation Brigade”, who protect the city. Precisely this “image” inspired the “Times” for the new title.
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