Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday (August 30, 2024) | Photo Credit: ANI
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky The country’s air force chief was sacked on Friday (August 30, 2024), a day after Kiev said it was using US-made F-16 Fighter Aircraft It crashed in combat, killing the pilot.
In a video message, Mr Zelensky said he had “decided to change the commander of the Air Force” to strengthen the air force UkraineThe military leadership of.
Earlier his office published the president’s order to officially remove Mikola Oleshchuk from office.
The crash of the F-16 was a major setback for Kiev, which had lobbied for months to send advanced fighter jets from the West.
It was the first loss, occurring just weeks after Ukraine began taking deliveries of the supersonic aircraft.
The military had said the plane and the pilot crashed during a combat mission earlier this week after they were shot down by Russian missiles.
MP Mariana Bezugla, a member of the parliamentary defence, security and intelligence committee, claimed the F-16 was shot down by friendly fire from Ukraine’s own air defence system.
In response to these allegations, Mr Oleshchuk on Friday (August 30, 2024) accused them of trying to discredit Ukraine’s military leaders and said a full investigation into the incident was underway.
Mr. Zelensky did not give further details about why he decided to replace his air force commander, saying only that his command team “needs to be strengthened.”
“Lieutenant General Anatoly Krivonozhko, who leads Air Force operations in the central part of Ukraine, will temporarily assume the role of overall commander,” the Air Force said.
This is not the first time Mr Zelensky has removed a senior military leader.
Earlier this year he removed the popular commander-in-chief, Valery Zaluzhny.
He was replaced by Oleksandr Sirsky, who led Ukraine’s counteroffensive in Russia’s western Kursk region.