The commander of the Ukrainian air force was unceremoniously fired by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, four days after a much celebrated F-16 warplane that Ukraine had just acquired from its Western allies crashed during a Russian bombardment, resulting in the pilot’s death.
The presidential website published the order to dismiss Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk.
The army’s general staff announced that Lt. Gen. Anatolii Kryvonozhko has been appointed as the interim air force commander.
The dismissal occurred on the same day that Oleshchuk issued a harsh critique of a lawmaker who serves as the deputy chairman of the Ukrainian parliament’s defense committee for her assertion that the F-16 was destroyed by a Patriot air-defense system.
The number of U.S.-made systems that Ukraine has received is not specified.
The air force did not explicitly refute the claim that the F-16 was struck by a Patriot missile.
The Ukrainian investigation into the accident has been augmented by U.S. experts, according to the air force.
Furthermore, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that Ukrainian missiles struck the Russian city of Belgorod and its environs on Friday evening, resulting in the deaths of five civilians and the injury of 37 others.
The region is situated adjacent to northern Ukraine and is subject to drone or artillery attacks on a daily basis by Zelensky’s government.
The news comes as Ukraine continues to retreat from previously fortified positions in Ukraine Donbass region as Russia’s military advances.
[READ MORE: Famous Pollster Nate Silver Puts Trump Ahead of Harris Going Into Labor Day]
