Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired the commander of the country's air force on Friday, four days after an F-16 warplane that Ukraine received from its Western partners crashed during a Russian bombardment and killed the pilot. The order to dismiss Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk was published on the presidential website, per the AP. "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. Lt. Gen. 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's deputy head of the Ukrainian Parliament's defense committee for her claims that the F-16 was downed by a Patriot air-defense 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 Bezuhla of defaming the air force and discrediting US arms manufacturers and said that he hoped she'd face legal consequences for her claims. "The truth will win," Bezuhla posted on X shortly after the dismissal order was published. The air force didn't directly deny that the F-16 was hit by a Patriot missile.
US experts have joined the Ukrainian investigation into the crash, the air force said. The crash was the first reported loss of an F-16 in Ukraine, where the warplanes arrived at the end of last month. At least six are believed to have been delivered by European countries. Military analysts say the planes won't 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. More here.
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