The dismissal of the commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has nothing to do with the recent crash of the F-16 fighter: Umerov
The Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umyerov stated that the dismissal of Mykola Oleshchuk from the position of commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has nothing to do with the recent F-16 fighter jet crash.
Umerov told about this in his interview for CNN.
“I would call it a normal rotation. Oleschuk’s firing and the F-16 crash are two separate issues. I wouldn’t connect them at this stage.” said the minister.
Umerov also noted that Ukraine is conducting an investigation into this incident.
“We are investigating what happened. We have also invited our partners to join the investigation and they are actively working with us.” he added.
What preceded these events
On August 30, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi decided to dismiss Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk from the position of commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which occurred after the crash of an F-16 fighter jet that killed pilot Oleksiy Mes.
Explaining his decision, Zelenskyi emphasized the importance of strengthening command structures and protecting personnel.
Lieutenant General Anatoliy Kryvonozhko was appointed as the new acting commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Information about the loss of the F-16 fighter first appeared in the Wall Street Journal, which cited an unnamed American official. According to preliminary data, the plane was not shot down by enemy fire, although the incident occurred during a massive missile attack by Russia on August 26.
Subsequently, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the fact of the crash of the F-16 fighter. They noted that American fighter jets demonstrated their effectiveness by shooting down four cruise missiles on August 26. However, during one of the combat operations, contact with one of the planes was lost. Later it turned out that this plane crashed and the pilot died. The Air Force reported that pilot Oleksiy Mes died that day while destroying three cruise missiles and one attack drone.
A special commission of the Ministry of Defense is working in the area where the plane fell, which is investigating the causes of the accident. Mykola Oleschuk noted that American partners have already joined this process.
