President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed the commander of Ukraine’s air force amid controversy surrounding the destruction of one of the country’s newly acquired F-16 fighter jets.
While Mr. Zelensky did not provide specific reasons for the dismissal of Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk, he emphasized his duty to “take care of all our warriors.”
The US-made F-16, one of several delivered earlier this month by Ukraine’s Western allies, crashed on Monday, resulting in the death of the pilot.
Although the incident occurred during a Russian missile barrage, Ukraine has stated that the crash was not directly caused by enemy fire. Lt. Gen. Oleshchuk has been involved in disputes with some politicians over responsibility for the loss.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it has occupied a significant portion of eastern Ukraine.
In response, Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region earlier this month and claims its troops are advancing further into Russia. Russia has since escalated its attacks across Ukraine.
On Friday, a 14-year-old girl was killed when a Russian guided bomb struck a playground in Kharkiv, a city in northeastern Ukraine. At least six others were killed and 59 injured when a 12-story residential building was hit.
President Zelensky has reiterated his call for Ukraine’s international partners to support its efforts to strike targets within Russia to prevent such attacks.
His office reported that Moscow’s forces have fired more than 400 drones and missiles at Ukraine over the past week.
In a Telegram post, Mr. Zelensky announced the decision to replace Lt. Gen. Oleshchuk, stating that “at the command level, we must strengthen ourselves and protect our people.” The Ukrainian air force has identified the deceased pilot as Colonel Oleksiy Mes.
“He fought heroically his last battle in the skies,” it said, adding that he had shot down three cruise missiles and a drone on 26 August.
Col Mes, whose call sign was Moonfish, was one of Ukraine’s most experienced pilots. He had been trained abroad for F-16 missions.
Lt Gen Anatolii Kryvonozhko was appointed interim commander of Ukraine’s air force, the army’s general staff said in a statement. He previously oversaw the central air command, leading operations in the centre of the country.
He takes charge as officials have clashed over the loss of the F-16 jet, which has ignited fierce debate in Ukraine.
Ukrainian politician Mariana Bezuhla, who sits on a parliamentary defence committee, claimed on Thursday that the jet was downed by Ukraine’s Patriot air defence system.
Earlier on Friday, Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk responded by stating that an investigation into the F-16 crash was underway and assured that there was no attempt to conceal information. He accused Ms. Bezuhla of undermining military leadership and suggested that there would be a time for her to apologize.
Since US President Joe Biden authorized European allies to send F-16s to Ukraine in August 2023, approximately 65 F-16s have been pledged by NATO countries.
President Zelensky has dismissed several military commanders since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
In February of this year, he removed Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces.
In June, he also dismissed Lt. Gen. Yuriy Sodol following public criticism over high casualties and allegations of incompetence.