Zelensky Dismisses Commander of Air Force After First F-16 Fighter Plane Was Destroyed in Ukraine

Four days after the first F-18 fighter plane was destroyed in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Ukraine’s Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk, leading many analysts to suggest that the plane may have indeed been victim of friendly fire from a Patriot air defense system.

The F-16 jet crashed (or was hit by a missile) and its pilot died during one of the largest Russian drone and missile strikes of the whole war.

Reuters reported:

“‘I have decided to replace the commander of the Air Forces… I am eternally grateful to all our military pilots’, President Volodymyr Zelensky 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.”

General Lieutenant Anatoliy Kryvonozhka is to 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.”

Defense News reported:

“’We need to protect people. Protect personnel. Take care of all our soldiers’, Zelensky said in an address minutes after the order was published. He said Ukraine needs to strengthen its army on the command level.”

The crash was the first loss of a Western-supplied F-16 in Ukraine, having only arrived at the end of July after being expected since May 2023.

Oleshchuk’s dismissal came on the same day he strongly criticized lawmaker Mariana Bezuhla for her claims that the F-16 was downed by a Patriot air-defense system.

“The air force did not directly deny that the F-16 was hit by a Patriot missile. U.S. experts have joined the Ukrainian investigation into the crash, the air force said.”

Oleshchuk wrote on Telegram that ‘a detailed analysis’ was being conducted into the crash.

“’We must carefully understand what happened, what the circumstances are, and whose responsibility it is’, Oleshchuk wrote in the post shortly before his dismissal.

[…] Military analysts say the planes will not be a game-changer in the war, given Russia’s massive air force and sophisticated air-defense 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.”

Read more:

First American-Sent F-16 Fighter Jet Destroyed in Ukraine, Killing Veteran Pilot – Kiev Source Suggests Plane Was Struck by Friendly Fire From Patriot Air Defense System

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