The 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade "Ghost of Kyiv" (

Military Unit Number A Military Unit Number (Russian: войсковая часть, в/ ч; Ukrainian: військова частина, в/ ч) is a numeric alternate designation for military units in the armed forces and internal troops of post-Soviet ...

А1789) is a formation of the

Ukrainian Air Force The Ukrainian Air Force (, PS ZSU) is the air force of Ukraine and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (ZSU). Its current form was created in 2004 by merging the Ukrainian Air Defence Forces into the Air Fo ...

, composed primarily of

Mikoyan MiG-29 The Mikoyan MiG-29 (; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a twin-engine fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the MiG-29, along with the larger Suk ...

aircraft, that is based at

Vasylkiv Vasylkiv (, , ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city on the Stuhna, Stuhna River in Obukhiv Raion, Kyiv Oblast, central Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Vasylkiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. First mentioned in the 10th ce ...

History

In January 1992 the regiment took the

oath of loyalty An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a nationality, subject or Citizenship, citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to a monarch or a country. In modern republics, oaths are sworn to the country in general, or to the co ...

to the Ukrainian people. Upon the start of the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

in 2022, the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade played an important role in the Kyiv offensive. Its fighter aircraft battled the

Russian Air Force The Russian Air Force () is a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the latter being formed on 1 August 2015 with the merging of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the reb ...

over

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

and attempted to disrupt Russian advances on the ground. The unit took part in the

Battle of Antonov Airport The battle of Antonov Airport, also known as the battle of Hostomel Airport, was a military engagement which occurred at the Hostomel Airport, Antonov Airport in Hostomel, Kyiv Oblast, during the Northern front of the Russian invasion of Ukrai ...

and the Battle of Kyiv; one of its pilots, Lt. Col. Vyacheslav Yerko (posthumously

Hero of Ukraine A Hero of Ukraine (HOU; ) is the highest national decoration that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the president of Ukraine. The decoration was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma. As of 6 June 2025, the total number of re ...

, Gold Star Order), reportedly shot down four Russian aircraft on the invasion's first day before being killed.. The brigade was given the honorary title "

Ghost of Kyiv The Ghost of Kyiv (, ) is the nickname given to a Legend, mythical Mikoyan MiG-29, MiG-29 Fulcrum flying ace credited with shooting down six Russian planes over Kyiv during the Kyiv offensive (2022), Kyiv offensive on 24 February 2022. Various ...

" in 2024 by a decree issued by President Zelenskyy.

Aircraft

* MiG-29, MiG-29UB, MiG-29M1 * L39M1

List of aircraft

At the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, 18-21 MiG-29s units were reported in operational status among Ukrainian Brigades. Along the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, the 204th and 114th Brigades of the Ukrainian Air Force operates MiG-29. In was reported during the Russian invasion of Ukraine that brigades shared pilots and airframes. Here is a list of all reported operational aircraft since the 2022 conflict and their fates during the conflict.

Pilots who lost their lives

Andrii Pilshchykov Andrii Borysovych Pilshchykov (; 3 February 1993 – 25 August 2023) was a Ukrainian fighter pilot with the call sign "Juice" (Джус) and a Captain (armed forces), captain in the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force. He w ...

(Juice) * Valentyn Korenchuk *

Vladyslav Savieliev Vladyslav Mykhailovych Savieliev (, (August 14, 1996 — 2 June 2023, near Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast) was a Ukrainian military pilot of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major, a participant in the Russian-Ukrainian war, who died duri ...

Mykhailo Matiushenko Mykhailo Yuriiovych Matiushenko (, call sign – Did; 8 January 1961 in Kharkiv, Soviet Union – 26 June 2022 over the Black Sea, Ukraine) was a Ukrainian entrepreneur and manager, serviceman, military and civil aviation pilot, colonel and comma ...

Stepan Tarabalka Stepan Ivanovych Tarabalka (; 9 January 1993 – 13 March 2022), in English media also referred to as Stephen Tarabalka, was a Ukrainian military officer, a pilot and a major in the Ukrainian Air Force. He served during the Russo-Ukrainian War, ...

Oleksii Mes Oleksii Mes (20 October 1993 – 26 August 2024) was a Ukrainian fighter pilot with the call sign "Moonfish" of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He died when his F-16 crashed while repelling a Russian missile attack, according to ...

References

Links