Zelensky sacks Ukraine air force commander Oleshchuk

President Volodymyr Zelensky has sacked the commander of Ukraine’s air force, Lt Gen Mykola Oleshchuk, amid debate over the destruction of one of the country’s valuable new F-16 fighter jets.

Mr Zelensky did not give a reason for the dismissal, but in a post to Telegram he said that it was his responsibility to “take care of all our warriors”.

On Monday, one of the US-made F-16 fighter jets delivered earlier this month from Ukraine’s Western allies went down during a barrage of Russian missiles, killing the pilot.

The cause of the crash was not a direct result of an enemy strike, Ukraine said, and Lt Gen Oleshchuk sparred with some politicians over who was to blame for the loss.

In his post to Telegram, Mr Zelensky said he had decided to replace Lt Gen Oleschuk, noting that “at the command level, we must strengthen ourselves and protect our people”.

“I am immensely grateful to all our military pilots, all engineers, all mobile fire group warriors, and all air defence personnel,” Mr Zelensky said.

“To everyone who is truly fighting for Ukraine, for results. And this is just as necessary at the command level, we must strengthen ourselves and protect our people. Protect the personnel, protect all our warriors.”

Ukraine’s air force earlier named the killed pilot as Col Oleksiy Mes.

“He fought heroically his last battle in the skies,” it said, adding that he had shot down three cruise missiles and a drone on 26 August.

Mes, whose call sign was Moonfish, was one of Ukraine’s most experienced pilots. He had been trained abroad for F-16 missions.

Lt Gen Anatolii Kryvonozhko was appointed interim commander of Ukraine’s air force, the army’s general staff said in a statement. The officer previously oversaw the central air command, leading operations in the centre of the country.

He takes charge as officials have clashed over the loss of the F-16 jet, which has ignited fierce debate in Ukraine.

Ukrainian politician Mariana Bezuhla, who sits on a parliamentary defence committee, claimed on Thursday that the jet was downed by Ukraine’s Patriot air defence system.

Mr Oleshchuk responded earlier on Friday that an investigation was under way and no one was hiding anything. He accused Ms Bezuhla of discrediting military leadership and said the time would come for an apology.

After the announcement of his dismissal, Ms Bezuhla posted on social media that truth would prevail.

Around 65 F-16s have been pledged by Nato countries since US President Joe Biden first authorised willing European allies to send them to Ukraine in August 2023.

Mr Zelensky has dismissed multiple military commanders since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

In February this year, he sacked the commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

And in June, he dismissed Lt Gen Yuriy Sodol after public criticism about the top general’s excessive casualties and accusations of incompetence.

Lt Gen Oleshchuk came as Ukraine continues its incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region, which started with a surprise offensive on 6 August.

The commander of Ukraine’s armed forces, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Friday his troops had advanced a further 2 km (1.2 miles) into Kursk over the past day.

Also on Friday, a Ukrainian delegation met US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in Washington.

The head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Andriy Yermak, and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov spoke about the situation on the battlefield, the need for weapons and equipment, and recent attacks on the energy system, the office said.

The Ukrainians said the country needs to strengthen its air defence in order to protect people and critical infrastructure.