The commander of the Air Force was dismissed
Ukrainian President Zelensky has dismissed Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleschuk from his position as commander of the Air Force. While the official reason was not specified, the decision comes just days after Ukraine lost its first F-16 fighter jet. According to Ukrainian People’s Deputy Maryana Bezuhla, the jet was lost in a friendly fire incident.
Lt. Gen. Anatoly Kryvonozhko, the now former commander of Air Command Center, has been appointed as the acting commander of the Air Force. Unlike Oleschuk, who was an anti-aircraft defense man, Kryvonozhko is a pilot.
On August 29, the General Staff reported that an F-16 jet crashed on August 26 during a combat mission to repel a Russian missile strike, resulting in the death of pilot Oleksiy Mes.
Mykola Oleschuk previously commanded the 160th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade and served as Chief of Staff for Air Command South and later Air Command East. In August 2021, President Zelenskyy appointed him as the commander of the Air Force. During Russia’s full-scale invasion, he played a crucial role in organizing the anti-aircraft defense of Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv, and other key Ukrainian cities.
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Wrong decision
His last post on his official t.me channel says the time will come when Maryana will apologize to the entire army for what shes done, hopefully in court…and that she poured dirt on him once again and on the Air Force. idk sounds like theres a lot more to it about all this.
Is it confirmed that it really was friendly fire?
There got to be more to it then the loss of one pilot, may he rest in peace. He was one of few pilots Ukraine had, that could fly the F-16, but do you fire the commander of the Airforce over the loss of one pilot and his plane, during a war?
Apparently, Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleschuk lied about what happened to the F16 and it isn’t the first time he does so to cover the mistakes he and his subordinates make.
In the Russian army, there is a culture of lies. Officers, at every level, lie to cover up their mistake. Sadly, the same culture is also present (to a lesser degree) in the Ukrainian army. It must be readicated.
Thank you for the info. That could be a very good reason for the firing. I remember, a few weeks ago, the russians repeatedly hit an airfield (can’t remember the name) and it seems that they kept destroying planes there. This could have played into it.
https://xxtomcooperxx.substack.com/p/ukraine-war-21-august-2024
Syrskyi also denied the propaganda about the interception rates of Russian missiles and drones. The disparity is enormous.
The Ukrainian F-16 are stationed in Poland
Some F-16 aircraft could perform maintenance in Poland, but they cannot land and take off from Poland, as that airport would become a legitimate target. Furthermore, Poland would lose the protection of NATO (which has mature defense)
But that’s exactly why the F-16s are stationed in Poland. Because Putin won’t attack an airport in a NATO country. In Ukraine, every piece of land is a potential target for him.
In my opinion it is more likely:
Taking off from airports on the border with Poland
Landing on the highway (there are videos showing potential equipped stands).
Serious maintenance in Poland
https://xxtomcooperxx.substack.com/p/ukraine-war-30-august-2024