Ever since Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, a lot of stories have flooded the news about this history-making moment. However, among the headlines that have caught my eye have been ones with a supernatural reference to the Ghost of Kyiv.
What is that? A myth or an urban legend of some kind? And why are we suddenly hearing about this ghost? Let’s see if we can figure out what it’s all about.
What is the Ghost of Kyiv?
I subscribe to Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American. Here’s how she summed up the ghost in her Feb. 25, 2022 newsletter:
“The Ukraine resistance has given rise to the Ghost of Kyiv, a fighter pilot who may or may not be real, and who may or may not be a woman, and who has shot down six Russian planes. Such a superhuman legend symbolizes Ukraine’s people this terrible week.”
Is the Ghost of Kyiv real?
Marca tried to determine whether the ghost was real or a “wild urban legend.” They reported that former Ukraine president Petro Poroshenko shared a photo of the fighter pilot and indicated he flies a MiG-29 fighter jet.
So there’s at least one answer. If the ghost is real, it appears he’s a man.
But whether the ghost is a male or female, real or not, Marca perhaps best defined what the Ghost of Kyiv really is. Or, I should say, what it really represents: hope.
“In a time when we are all begging for heroes, this ghost is the clear reminder that there is still hope in a world filled with war.”
But the ghost isn’t the only fighter of mythic proportions to so far surface.
The Ukrainian Reaper
While the Ghost of Kyiv works in the skies to defend the Ukrainian people, Marca reported that another urban legend with a supernatural-sounding nickname has also emerged: the Ukrainian Reaper.
This soldier of the Ukrainian army fights on the ground to defend citizens. He’s been credited with 20 kills so far.
There’s no word if the claim is substantiated or not. It could just be propaganda designed to bolster the morale of the Ukrainian citizens.
The same goes for the ghost and the reaper. They may remain legends whose existence are never proven real and whose identities forever remain a mystery. Or they may be real people who one day receive medals.
Time —and history— will tell.
Check-In
Do you think the ghost and the reaper are real people or myths created to inspire others in this historic moment?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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