Rumors That The Ghost Of Kyiv Was Shot Down Are Debunked As Redditors Realize Ukrainian Fighter Pilots A MiG-29 Not A Su-27

As the rumored Ghost of Kyiv was labeled a hero yesterday on Twitter and in memes around the web, a Ukrainian Su-27 was captured in videos being hit over Kyiv with Russian missiles, spreading to Reddit and news outlets in numerous posts. Many online labeled the downed jet as the purported Ghost of Kyiv, however, the rumors were false.

In a video uploaded to Twitter yesterday by the account @ELINTNews, it's shown that a Ukrainian fighter jet was intercepted by a Russian missile over Kyiv despite many inaccurately claiming it was a Russian aircraft downed by Ukrainian forces. A firey explosion ensued over the apartment buildings, raining down on the capital city. In only 24 hours, the video received roughly 2.1 million views, with several others of different angles also being widely shared.

Something large was intercepted by Ukrainian air defences over Kyiv minutes ago pic.twitter.com/TkH5nrecSM

— ELINT News (@ELINTNews) February 25, 2022

More Twitter users purportedly close to the source tweeted about their own developments, providing pictures of the crash and other clips. According to Twitter's @ijaydenx, the aircraft fell into a residential area called the Darnytskyi district in Kyiv.

Read More: https://t.co/ZVvYgzlQVz 'It is reported that an aircraft fell into a residential area in the Darnytskyi district of #Kyiv' pic.twitter.com/LB4fwovkXQ

— Jayden X (@ijaydenx) February 25, 2022

Breaking: Webcam video shows large explosion in Kyiv, Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/VKcOsIatHA

— PM Breaking News (@PMBreakingNews) February 25, 2022

The news of the Su-27 jet (also reported as an Su-25) quickly spread to the primary subreddit of Ukrainian updates, /r/UkraineWarVideoReport. There, Redditor SpartanOn44 asked its members if the Ghost of Kyiv had just been shot down, in regards to the aforementioned interception and viral footage. However, the rumor was quickly debunked, as SpartanOn44 was informed the Ghost of Kyiv was flying a MiG-29 jet rather than a Su-25 or 27. Furthermore, according to The Hill, the jet was in fact a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet, getting a quote from the Ukrainian Deputy Interior Minister Evgeny Yenin.

The Ghost of Kyiv remains a rumor despite many spreading the legend of the pilot in droves with little evidence. In the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the internet is still largely hoping that the Ghost of Kyiv's identity will be revealed and confirmed as true, though nothing has been concrete as of yet.