Ukrainian president fires air force commander after fatal F-16 crash

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force on Friday, four days after an F-16 fighter jet that Ukraine had received from its Western partners crashed in a Russian missile and drone attack, killing the pilot.

The order to dismiss Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk was published on the President's website.

“We must protect people. Protect personnel. Take care of all our soldiers,” Zelensky said in a speech minutes after the order was published. He said Ukraine must strengthen its armed forces at the command level.

Lieutenant General Anatolii Kryvonozhko was appointed deputy commander of the Air Force, the General Staff said.

The dismissal came on the same day that Oleshchuk sharply criticized a lawmaker who is deputy chair of the Ukrainian parliament's defense committee for claiming that the F-16 was shot down by a Patriot air defense system. Ukraine has received an unspecified number of the US systems.

Mariana Bezuhla cited anonymous sources and called for punishment for those responsible for the mistake.

Oleshchuk accused Bezuhla of defaming the Air Force and discrediting U.S. defense manufacturers, and expressed hope that her allegations would result in legal action.

“The truth will prevail,” Bezuhla posted on X shortly after the dismissal notice was published.

The Air Force did not directly deny that the F-16 was hit by a Patriot missile.

US experts have joined the Ukrainian investigation into the crash, the Air Force said.

Meanwhile, a Russian attack on the northeastern city of Kharkiv using powerful glide bombs fired from aircraft killed six people, including a 14-year-old girl at a playground, and wounded 47 others, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

The bombs hit five locations in the city, which had a population of 1.4 million before the war, the governor said.

One of the bombs hit a 12-story apartment block, setting the building on fire and trapping at least one person on an upper floor. Rescue workers searching for survivors feared the building might collapse.

Further developments: Late Friday, Ukrainian missiles struck the Russian city of Belgorod and its surroundings, killing five people and injuring 37, said regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. The region borders northern Ukraine and is attacked almost daily by drones or artillery.

Zelenskyy described the attacks on Kharkiv as further evidence that Western partners should lift their restrictions on the targets the Ukrainian military can target with donated weapons.

The attack on Kharkiv “would not have happened if our defense forces had been able to destroy Russian military aviation at their bases. We need strong decisions from our partners to stop this terror,” Zelensky said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the media in front of an F-16 fighter jet at an undisclosed location on August 4 after marking the Day of the Ukrainian Air Force, as Russia continues to attack Ukraine. Reuters-Yonhap

F-16 fighter jets are among the weapons that could be used to hit Russian bases behind the front line.

Oleshchuk said on Telegram that “a detailed analysis” was already being conducted to find out why the F-16 plane crashed on Monday as Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine.

“We need to carefully understand what happened, what the circumstances are and who is responsible,” Oleshchuk wrote in the post shortly before his dismissal.

The crash was the first reported loss of an F-16 in Ukraine, where the fighters arrived late last month. At least six are said to have been delivered by European countries.

Military analysts say the planes will not turn the tide of the war, given Russia's massive air force and sophisticated air defense systems. Ukrainian politicians, however, welcome the supersonic jets, which can carry modern NATO weapons, because they offer a way to combat Russia's air superiority.

On the ground, the Russian army is making slow but steady progress in its advance into eastern Ukraine, while Ukrainian forces are holding their ground after a recent incursion into the Kursk border region of western Russia.

The Institute for War Research expects that Ukraine will lose some of the military equipment supplied by the West in the fighting.

But the Washington-based think tank added that “any loss of Ukraine's already limited fleet” of F-16 fighter jets and trained pilots will have a “disproportionate impact” on the country's ability to use F-16 fighter jets “as part of the combined air defense system or for air-ground support.”

In addition, the European Union defence ministers agreed in Brussels to strengthen their training programme for Ukrainian troops.

“Today, ministers agreed to raise the target to 75,000 and add another 15,000 by the end of the year,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters after the meeting.

“The training must be shortened and adapted to Ukrainian training needs,” Borrell said. He added that the EU would set up a small “coordination and liaison cell” in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv to make training efforts more effective.

So far, 60,000 soldiers have completed the bloc's training program, which is conducted outside Ukraine. (AP)