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Mykhailo Matyushenko: Veteran Top Gun who led Ukraine's feared 'Ghost of Kyiv' division dies in combat

Colonel Mykhailo Matyushenko, who used the call sign ‘Grandfather’, was the head of the Air Force's 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade
UPDATED OCT 3, 2022
Mykhailo Matyushenko died in combat over the black sea (Anatoly Fedoruk/Facebook)
Mykhailo Matyushenko died in combat over the black sea (Anatoly Fedoruk/Facebook)

BUCHA, UKRAINE: A legendary Ukrainian fighter pilot who led the infamous 'Ghost of Kyiv' pilot division has died in combat over the Black Sea.

Colonel Mykhailo Matyushenko, who used the call sign ‘Grandfather’, was the head of the Air Force's 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, which guarded the skies over the capital and never suffered any defeat in the air. A rescue mission was carried out by the force for the 61-year-old after he died during combat over the black sea in June. After a long search, his body was eventually found and returned home on Sunday, October 2.

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On Monday, a funeral was held for the war veteran in his hometown of Bucha, a town on the outskirts of Kyiv where Russia is accused of carrying out war crimes. The mayor of the town, Anatoly Fedoruk, paid tribute to Matyushenko with a Facebook post that read, "Matyushenko passed on his invaluable experience to the younger generation of fighter pilots. And only now can we tell the true story: "The Ghosts of Kyiv" were led by a pilot from Bucha."

Feboruk credited Matyushenko for the success of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade and said in his command the brigade dominated the air over the capital and never suffered any defeat. He served a number of military units and also flew civilian flights. He was working as a manager at a Ukrainian airline when Russia invaded the country, and the war veteran decided to return to serve.

After ruling the sky over the capital, Matyunshenko moved to strengthen Ukraine's control of the airspace above the southern and eastern front. Mourning the death of the veteran, his comrades recalled an incident in which he showcased his bravery and rushed to an aerial battle in an Aero L-39 Albatross training jet. He simulated an attack in a Ukrainian MiG-29 on a pair of Russian Su-30s and managed to fool the pilots, who eventually retreated.

The war veteran led the Ghost of Kyiv's pilot division. The division was home to the mythical 'Ghost of Kyiv', who allegedly shot down 40 Russian warplanes, although this later turned out to be a hoax spread by Ukrainians to boost the morale of scared citizens.

The story of the Ghost of Kyiv came into the public eye and became a symbol of Ukraine's defense just a day after Putin invaded the nation. But the air force decided to reveal the icon was a just hoax after Air Force Major Stepan Tarabalka, 29, was wrongly identified as the mythical pilot.

The air force wrote at the time, "The Ghost of Kyiv is a super-hero legend whose character was created by Ukrainians!' The information about the death of The Ghost of Kyiv is incorrect. The Ghost Of Kyiv 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."

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