Ukraine Air Force chief dismissed after F-16 crash

Announcing the move in his evening address, Zelensky did not detail why he dismissed Oleshchuk, saying: “This is equally necessary at the command level – we must strengthen ourselves and protect our people. Protect our personnel. Protect all our warriors.”

Oleshchuk had earlier Friday confirmed that the crash was the one Monday that killed star fighter pilot Oleksiy Mes, who had become one of the faces of Ukraine’s long campaign lobbying the West to provide the expensive jets.

Oleshchuk said an investigation was ongoing into what caused the “aviation disaster,” adding that the United States had joined the investigation.

“No one has hidden anything and is not hiding anything!” he wrote on Telegram. Ukrainian lawmaker Mariana Bezuhla had alleged in a post on social media that there was a “culture of lies” in the Air Force. “And none of the generals are punished,” she wrote on Thursday. She appeared to call for Oleshchuk’s removal, writing, “General Oleschuk remains in office.”

Lieutenant general Anatoliy Kryvonozhko will take Oleshchuk’s place on an interim basis, the military said.

Kostiantyn Khudov in Kyiv contributed to this report.