Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed the chief of Ukraine’s air force days after an F-16 pilot was killed defending against a large-scale Russian attack.
In the first known Ukrainian loss of the US-made fighter jets, Lieutenant Colonel Oleksiy Mes – who used the callsign Moonfish – was killed in an aerial battle on Monday, as Moscow launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Air force commander Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk had angrily rejected claims by Ukrainian MP Mariana Bezuhla, who cited unnamed sources, that the jet had been downed in “friendly fire” by a US Patriot missile.
Ukraine’s air force did not deny the claims by Ms Bezuhla, who is deputy head of the Ukrainian parliament’s defence committee, and said that US experts had joined the Ukrainian investigation into the crash.
Hours after Mr Oleschuk’s denunciation of Ms Bezuhla, the Ukrainian president announced that he had dismissed the air force commander from his post.
In his nightly address, Mr Zelensky said: “I have decided to replace the Commander of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I am immensely grateful to all our military pilots, all engineers, all warriors of mobile firing groups, air defence units. All those who really fight for Ukraine – for the result.
“And the same goes for the command level – we must strengthen ourselves. And take care of people. Take care of personnel – take care of all our warriors.”
Mr Oleschuk had led Ukraine’s air force since August 2021, some six months prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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