Zelensky Fires Ukraine’s Air Force Chief Days After F-16 Crash That Killed Top Pilot
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the commander of the country’s Air Force, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, on Friday, August 30, just four days after an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a Russian attack, resulting in the death of a top Ukrainian pilot.
The order to remove Oleshchuk was published on the presidential website. Following the announcement, Zelensky addressed the nation, emphasizing the need to protect military personnel and strengthen the army’s command structure. “We need to protect people. Protect personnel. Take care of all our soldiers,” Zelensky said.
Lieutenant General Anatolii Kryvonozhko was appointed as the acting Air Force commander, according to the army’s general staff.
The dismissal coincided with Oleshchuk’s sharp criticism of Mariana Bezuhla, a lawmaker and deputy head of the Ukrainian parliament’s defense committee. Bezuhla had claimed, citing unnamed sources, that the F-16 was mistakenly shot down by a Patriot air-defense system, a U.S.-made system provided to Ukraine. She demanded accountability for the incident.
Oleshchuk accused Bezuhla of defaming the Air Force and discrediting U.S. arms manufacturers, suggesting she should face legal consequences for her statements.
“The truth will win,” Bezuhla posted on X shortly after Oleshchuk’s dismissal was announced.
The Ukrainian Air Force, in its statement, did not explicitly deny the possibility that the F-16 was struck by a Patriot missile. U.S. experts have joined the ongoing investigation into the crash, according to the Air Force.
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