(Bloomberg) -- Ukraine’s Air Force chief was dismissed by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a day after the crash of a Ukrainian F-16 was made public.
Zelenskiy made the announcement Friday in a video address on the Telegram platform, saying it was important to strengthen the air force at the command level for the sake of national security and to reassure the population. A presidential decree on force commander Mykola Oleshchuk’s removal didn’t give a reason for his dismissal.
Ukraine said Thursday that one of its F-16 fighter jets crashed on Monday during Russia’s biggest missile and drone attack on Ukraine since its full-scale invasion began February 2022. The US has joined an investigation into what caused the crash.
Ukraine received its first consignment of F-16s in late July after a long debate among its western allies about whether to supply the US-made fighter jets.
Lieutenant General Anatoliy Kryvonozhko was appointed acting Air Force chief, the Ukrainian army’s general staff said in a Telegram post.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
