Shortly after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the story of the "Ghost of Kyiv" - a fighter pilot in the Ukrainian Air Force - spread. Ukraine denies that these are individual pilots, the term remains - and is now finding its way into the comic world.
A manga comic about a fictional Ukrainian fighter pilot is causing a sensation in the war-torn country, according to Japanese media. The hero of Ghost of Kyiv, created by Japanese amateur cartoonist Juko Matsuda, is a Ukrainian air force pilot who crashes enemy fighter jets after the Russian invasion of his country, according to Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun.
After it became known, the comic received so much attention online that a Ukrainian publisher decided to publish it, it said. The boss contacted the Ukrainian ambassador in Japan via Facebook, who put Matsuda in touch and helped publish the comic.
The Ukrainian first edition of "The Spirit of Kyiv" was published with a print run of 25,000 copies. According to the information, the publisher hopes to increase the circulation to 100,000 - and thus set a record for Ukraine.
Shortly after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, tales of the "ghost of Kyiv" began to spread. It is said to be a legendary Ukrainian air pilot who is said to have shot down several Russian planes on the first day of the war - and soon dozens more. The identity of this fighter pilot remains unknown, but the term goes around the world.
The London "Times" reported a few days later that the "Ghost of Kyiv" was shot down and is said to be dead. The identity of the fighter pilot was also revealed, it is said to have been 29-year-old Major Stepan Tarabalka. It was shot down on March 13 while fighting "overwhelming" enemy forces, the newspaper wrote. In total, he is said to have knocked out 40 Russian planes.
The Ukrainian Air Force has denied reports of the death of the "Ghost of Kyiv" - and made it clear that it was not a single person. "The information about the death of the 'Ghost of Kyiv' is incorrect," it said in a tweet. The spirit is alive, "it embodies the collective spirit of the highly qualified Air Force Tactical Brigade pilots who are successfully defending Kyiv and the region," it said.
