President Zelensky recently presented newly delivered F-16 fighter jets. According to Ukraine, one of them crashed a few days ago. The pilot died, and the circumstances remain unclear. Zelensky has now fired the head of the air force.
Following the crash of an F-16 fighter jet recently delivered by the West, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed the head of the Air Force. He has decided to replace Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk, Zelensky announced on Friday in the online service Telegram.
However, Zelensky did not reveal the reason for the dismissal. However, he stressed that the command structures must be strengthened and the forces protected. “I am eternally grateful to all our military pilots,” said the president.
Umjerow: Two “different Affairs”
Oleshchuk's duties will now be temporarily taken over by Lieutenant General Anatoly Kryvonoshka, who was responsible for air force operations in central Ukraine, the General Staff said.
“I would probably say that this is a rotation, but it is unfortunate,” said Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov in an interview with CNN when asked whether the dismissal had anything to do with the loss of the fighter jet. These were two “different issues.” Umyerov stressed that the investigation into the cause was still ongoing. “I don't want to make any assumptions.”
The Ukrainian General Staff announced on Thursday that the US-made fighter jet crashed on Monday while defending against a Russian air attack. The pilot was killed. According to the Reuters news agency, the US defense apparatus said that Russian fire was apparently not the cause of the crash. Whether it was pilot error or technical failure has not yet been clarified, US sources said.
Was the jet shot down accidentally?
The Ukrainian military did not comment on the cause, but said the fighter jet crashed as it approached a Russian target.
However, Ukrainian MPs and activists did not rule out the possibility that the plane was accidentally shot down by the country's own air defense system – including MP Mariana Besugla, who is also a member of the Defense Committee. In response, Oleshchuk accused the MP on Friday of trying to discredit the Ukrainian military leadership. He stated that a comprehensive investigation into the incident was underway.
This is the first time that Ukraine has announced the loss of one of the previously long-awaited and recently commissioned US-made fighter jets. According to an earlier report in the Times of London newspaper, the country had six of them.
