**KYIV, Ukraine (AP)** – On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the commander of Ukraine’s air force, Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk, following the crash of an F-16 warplane. The aircraft, provided by Ukraine’s Western allies, went down during a Russian attack, resulting in the pilot’s death.
The dismissal order for Oleshchuk was announced on the presidential website. In a statement shortly after, Zelenskyy emphasized the need to enhance protection for personnel and strengthen command within the military .
Lt. Gen. Anatolii Kryvonozhko has been appointed as the acting air force commander, according to the general staff.
The firing of Oleshchuk coincided with his public criticism of Mariana Bezuhla, a deputy head of the Ukrainian parliament’s defense committee. Bezuhla had claimed, based on unnamed sources, that the F-16 was brought down by a Patriot air-defense system. Ukraine has received an undisclosed number of these U.S.-made systems.
Oleshchuk accused Bezuhla of defamation and damaging the reputation of both the air force and U.S. arms manufacturers, and expressed hope that she would face legal repercussions for her allegations.Bezuhla responded on X (formerly Twitter), asserting that "the truth will prevail" following the dismissal.The air force has not explicitly confirmed or denied that the F-16 was struck by a Patriot missile.
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