Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk. No official reason was given, but it has been linked to the loss of a Western F-16 fighter jet and its pilot.
On Thursday, the General Staff confirmed that one of its few F-16s had been lost during a response to a massive Russian airstrike on Monday. “I have decided to dismiss the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force,” Zelensky announced in his evening video address on Friday. He thanked all members of the air force who have actually achieved results for Ukraine. “This also applies to the command level. We need to become stronger. And protect our people.”
On Friday, Oleshchuk criticized a lawmaker on Telegram who cast doubt on the official version of the crash. She supported Russian propaganda, he wrote, and threatened to take her to court. The loss of the machine is being investigated, partly in cooperation with the manufacturing country USA. The lieutenant general has led the Ukrainian air force since 2021. Nothing is yet known about his successor.
Serious setback for Ukraine
Several F-16 fighter jets were delivered to Kiev by Western allies a few weeks ago. The incident is a serious setback for Ukraine. The Kiev government has long had to make do with a fleet of outdated Soviet-era MIG-29 and Sukhoi fighter jets to fend off massive Russian air raids, and has long demanded that the West deliver state-of-the-art F-16 fighter jets faster.
Eight dead in Russian airstrikes in Kharkov and Sumy
Meanwhile, at least eight people were killed in Russian attacks on Friday, according to local reports. The Kharkiv region in the east of the country reported four deaths, including a 14-year-old girl. Two people were killed in the neighboring Sumy region.
According to official information, guided bombs hit a 12-story residential building in Kharkiv, causing it to partially collapse. According to military governor Oleh Synyehubov, 59 people were also injured, including nine children aged between five and 16. The governor shared a video on online networks showing burned-out cars in front of residential buildings, from which thick black smoke rose.
Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoljak spoke of a “premeditated attack on the center of Kharkov, on a multi-story building.” The attack was carried out with a guided bomb, a particularly destructive weapon. According to Ukrainian prosecutors, the attack was carried out by a Su-34 aircraft that took off from the Russian border region of Belgorod.
Prosecutor: “Methods of war prohibited under international law”
Eight people were reportedly injured in Sumy. According to the authorities, several of them were children. The local prosecutor’s office spoke of “methods of war prohibited under international law.” As a result of the Russian airstrikes, about 21,000 people have been evacuated from the Sumy region since August 9. People were asked to stay in their homes and close their windows on Friday.
Sumy borders Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a military offensive in August. One goal of the offensive was to create a buffer zone on Russian territory to protect its own population from attack. Moscow responded with airstrikes.
“A blow that would not have happened if our armed forces had had the opportunity to destroy Russian military aircraft where they are stationed,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Telegram message after the attacks on Kharkov. In view of the devastation, he again called for the release of Western long-range weapons against targets in Russia.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
