Mykola Oleshchuk, the recently ousted head of Ukraine’s Air Force, has spoken out for the first time since his dismissal, which followed a tragic incident involving a Western-supplied F-16 fighter jet.
President Volodymr Zelensky dismissed Oleshchuk last Friday, just four days after the crash that claimed the life of Lt. Col. Oleksiy “Moonfish” Mes on August 26. Lt. Gen. Anatoly Kryvonozhko has taken over as acting Air Force Commander.
The presidential order did not specify the reasons for Oleshchuk’s removal, but Zelensky emphasized the need to prioritize the safety of military personnel, without elaborating further.
In his Telegram message, Oleshchuk refrained from discussing his firing but referenced Valery Zaluzhny, the former chief of the Armed Forces, who was also dismissed by Zelensky earlier this year.
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The crash that resulted in Col. Mes’s death coincided with a barrage of Russian missile attacks, leading to some political sparring over accountability. Preliminary investigations suggest the possibility of friendly fire from a Patriot missile battery as the cause of the downed jet, according to The New York Times.
Ukrainian politician Mariana Bezuhla has publicly criticized the culture within the air force and military leadership, prompting Oleshchuk to accuse her of undermining Ukraine’s military reputation.
Journalist Ilia Ponomarenko has called for an international investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mes’s death, emphasizing the need for transparent answers about the tragic incident.
Earlier in August, Ukraine received its first F-16s after a long-awaited appeal for modern aircraft, previously reliant on older Soviet models. Mes was one of a select group of pilots trained on these fourth-generation jets in Denmark, where he described the training leap as moving from “a Nokia to an iPhone. “
Mes was well-known in Ukraine, actively campaigning for F-16s during his visits to Washington to meet with U.S. lawmakers. The loss of both a skilled pilot and a much-anticipated aircraft presents a significant setback in Ukraine’s efforts against Russian aggression.
Since August, NATO countries have pledged approximately 65 F-16s to Ukraine. Recently, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed that Danish F-16s are already operational in Ukraine, as reported by the Kyiv Independent.