Saturday, August 31, 2024 - Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky has sacked the commander of the country’s Air Force on Friday, August 30, four days after an F16 fighter jet that Ukraine received from its Western partners crashed during a Russian bombardment and killed the pilot.
The order to dismiss Lieutenant General
Mykola Oleshchuk was published on the presidential website.
“We need to
protect people. Protect personnel. Take care of all our soldiers,” Mr Zelensky
said in an address minutes after the order was published.
He said Ukraine needs to strengthen its army
on the command level.
Lieutenant General Anatolii Kryvonozhko was
appointed acting air force commander, the army’s general staff said.
The dismissal came on the same day that Oleshchuk directed scathing criticism
at a lawmaker who is deputy head of the Ukrainian parliament’s defence
committee for her claims that the F16 was shot down by a Patriot air-defence
system. Ukraine has received an unspecified number of the US-made systems.
Mariana Bezuhla cited unnamed sources
for her claim and demanded punishment for those responsible for the error.
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 in its statement did not directly deny that the F16 was hit by a Patriot
missile.
US experts
have joined the Ukrainian investigation into the crash, the air force said.
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