THE so-called Ghost of Kiev, a legendary fighter pilot who supposedly downed 40 Russian warplanes, has turned out to be the invention of a Ukrainian morale-boosting campaign.

The startling admission was made on the Ukrainian air force’s Facebook page on Sunday, in a post claiming that the lone warrior never existed.

“We ask the Ukrainian community not to neglect the basic rules of information hygiene,” the message said, urging people to “check the sources of information, before spreading it.”

It was a stunning about-turn from the air force, which had previously embraced the legend in the early weeks of the war. 

The Ukrainian authorities also helped the propagate the myth, believed to have been an attempt to raise morale. 

The Ukraine security service had previously posted a picture of a pilot they called the “Ghost of Kiev,” but later media reports revealed that the photograph was an old one. 

The correction was made after a Times newspaper story about the demise of said ghost, pilot Stepan Tarabalka, went viral over the weekend. 

“The information about the death of the Ghost of Kiev is incorrect,” the air force said in a statement.  

“The Ghost of Kiev is alive, it embodies the collective spirit of the highly qualified pilots of the tactical aviation brigade who are successfully defending Kiev and the region.

Mr Tarabalka was said to be 29 at the time of his death, however there is no evidence to suggest that he shot down 40 Russian planes. 

Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of fake news throughout the war, trading accusations over atrocities like the killing of 50 people waiting to be evacuated from Kramatorsk train station in a missile strike.

Nina Jankowicz has been appointed by the Biden administration to head a new Department of Homeland Security disinformation governance board to counter Moscow.