On Friday, August 30, following the loss of the first F-16 fighter jet and its pilot during a Russian bombing, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky decided to dismiss the Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk. This was announced on the official Ukrainian presidential website and confirmed in a subsequent speech by Zelensky, who emphasized the need to strengthen the command structure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The dismissal comes shortly after Lieutenant General Oleshchuk publicly clashed with the Vice Chair of the Ukrainian Parliament’s defense committee. The vice chair had suggested that the fighter jet was lost due to friendly fire, specifically from a Patriot battery engaged in repelling a Russian missile attack. MP Mariana Bezuhla cited anonymous sources to support her claim and called for exemplary punishment for those responsible, which Oleshchuk interpreted as an attempt to discredit both his troops and the Patriot system’s manufacturers.
In the interim, Lieutenant General Anatolii Kryvonozhko will take over from Oleshchuk and lead the ongoing investigation to determine what truly happened with the lost F-16. It is worth noting that the Ukrainian Air Force has yet to directly refute the accidental shoot-down hypothesis, which has fueled Bezuhla’s suspicions despite the lack of official confirmation. In this regard, the U.S. has provided a team of experts to assist in the investigation.
Additionally, Ukraine must focus on improving the training process for future F-16 pilots, given the accelerated training programs due to the shortage of qualified personnel. This training is currently taking place in both the United States and various locations across Europe. Another potential solution, recently discussed by U.S. senators after meeting with President Zelensky, is recruiting retired F-16 pilots from NATO countries.
Senators Richard Blumenthal and Lindsey Graham stated: “If you are a retired F-16 pilot and want to fight for freedom, you will be hired here. Ukraine will seek out retired combat pilots from all NATO countries who want to come and help until they can train their own pilots. So, we’re going to get these planes in the air sooner rather than later.”
Finally, it is important to note that the first loss of an F-16 AM/BM occurred less than a month after the delivery of the first units committed by Ukraine’s Western allies, consisting of an initial batch of six aircraft. The coalition of Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands has pledged a total of 65 F-16s to help Ukraine counter the currently overwhelming Russian air superiority. Additionally, a batch of 32 F-16 Block 30s from Greece may be added to this group, following a proposal from Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, as Greece plans to retire these aircraft in the near future.
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