To use this site, please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page.
This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content, and analyzing our website traffic. By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies.
Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks to the media in a front of an F-16 fighting aircraft after marking the Day of the Ukrainian Air Forces, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location, Ukraine August 4, 2024.
Reuters
11:58 JST, August 31, 2024
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed Ukraine’s Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk on Friday, according to a presidential decree.
The dismissal was announced just a day after the Ukrainian military reported that an F-16 jet crashed and its pilot died while repelling a major Russian strike on Monday.
“I have decided to replace the commander of the Air Forces… I am eternally grateful to all our military pilots,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his evening address.
He did not give a reason for dismissal but mentioned that personnel must be protected, and that there was a need to strengthen the command level.
Ukraine’s General Staff said that General Lieutenant Anatoliy Kryvonozhka would temporarily perform the duties of commander.
The Ukrainian military did not provide a reason for Monday’s crash but said the jet came down while it was approaching a Russian target. Oleshchuk said on Monday partners from the U.S. were helping to investigate the incident.
A U.S. defense official told Reuters that the crash did not appear to be the result of Russian fire, and possible causes from pilot error to mechanical failure were still being investigated.
The arrival of the first F-16 jets was a milestone for Ukraine in the fight against the full-scale invasion Russia launched 2-1/2 years ago.
