Zelensky fires Ukraine’s air force commander after prized F-16 jet crashes, killing pilot

Lt Gen Mykola Oleshchuk’s sacking comes as Russian glide bomb attack on Kharkiv kills six, including 14-year-old girl in playground

Volodymyr Zelensky has fired the head of the country’s air force just days after Ukraine lost its first F-16 in a fatal crash.
The Ukrainian president did not specify why he had sacked Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk, but said: “We need to protect people. Protect personnel. Take care of all our soldiers.”
Lt. Gen. Anatolii Kryvonozhko was appointed acting air force commander, the Army’s general staff said.
Mr Oleshchuk’s departure comes days after Lt. Col. Oleksiy Mes, a top pilot known by his call sign “Moonfish”, was killed in the F16 crash.
A preliminary investigation into the crash appears to show “indications” that friendly fire from a Patriot missile battery could have downed the jet, a source told the New York Times.
Mr Oleshchuk’s departure came on the same day he directed scathing criticism at the deputy head of the Ukrainian parliament’s defence committee for claiming the F-16 was downed by the Patriot air-defence system.
Mariana Bezuhla cited unnamed sources for her claim. She alleged there was a “culture of lies” in the air force, adding that “none of the generals are punished”.
Mr Oleshchuk accused Ms Bezuhla of defaming the air force and discrediting US arms manufacturers and said that he hoped she would face legal consequences for her claims.
“The truth will win,” Ms Bezuhla posted on X shortly after the dismissal order was published.
The air force did not directly deny that the F-16 was hit by a Patriot missile.
Mr Oleshchuk said on Telegram that “a detailed analysis” was already being conducted into why the F-16 jet went down on Monday, when Russia launched a major missile and drone barrage at Ukraine.
“We must carefully understand what happened, what the circumstances are, and whose responsibility it is.”
US experts have joined the Ukrainian investigation into the crash, the air force said.
F-16s are one of the weapons that could be used to hit Russian bases behind the front line and the country’s leadership had hoped the Western aircraft would give its forces an edge on the battlefield as the war with Russia approaches its third anniversary.
Military analysts said the planes would be a game-changer in the war, given Russia’s massive air force and sophisticated air-defence systems. But Ukrainian officials welcomed the supersonic jets, which can carry modern weapons used by Nato countries, for offering an opportunity to hit back at Russia’s air superiority.The death of one of Ukraine’s few F-16 pilots was also a huge loss for Ukraine. US officials said Lt. Col. Mes was one of just six pilots in the country trained to fly the F-16.Mr Zelensky said earlier this month that a total of 80 F-16s would be delivered over the next few years, while more pilots would be trained to fly them.The fighter jets can cost up to $60 million depending on the configuration and any potential upgrades.The Institute for the Study of War said it expected that Ukraine would lose some Western-provided military equipment in the fighting.But the Washington-based think tank added that “any loss among Ukraine’s already limited allotment” of F-16s and trained pilots “will have an outsized impact” on the country’s ability to operate F-16s “as part of its combined air defence umbrella or in an air-to-ground support role”.Mr Oleshchuk’s dismissal comes months after Mr Zelensky fired Ukraine’s top military leader, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny.
On the ground, the Russian army is making slow but gradual progress in its drive into eastern Ukraine, while Ukrainian forces are holding ground in the Kursk border region of western Russia after a recent incursion.A Russian attack on the northeastern city of Kharkiv using powerful plane-launched glide bombs killed six people, including a 14-year-old girl on a playground, and wounded 47 others, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said.The bombs struck five locations across the city, the governor said.