Russia Head of the Ukrainian Air Force fired - F-16 lost
The Ukrainian air force has new leadership following the loss of an F-16 fighter jet. President Volodymyr Zelenskyi dismissed the previous air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk. Although no official reason was given, it was linked to the loss of the valuable western aircraft. According to the media, the Ukrainian pilot, who had been trained on the aircraft in the USA, died. Anatolij Krywonoschko was appointed commander on a provisional basis, according to the General Staff.
31.08.2024, 04:59
31.08.2024, 10:04
SDA
"I would probably say that this is a rotation, but it is regrettable," said Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umyerev in an interview with CNN when asked whether the dismissal had anything to do with the loss of the fighter jet. These were two "different matters". Umjerow emphasized that the investigation into the cause was still ongoing. "I don't want to make any assumptions."
It was only on Thursday that the General Staff confirmed that one of the few F-16 aircraft had been lost in action against a massive Russian air attack on Monday. There was talk of a crash. However, Ukrainian MPs and activists did not rule out the possibility that the aircraft had been accidentally shot down by the country's own air defenses.
At least seven people were killed in a Russian airstrike on the city of Kharkiv in north-eastern Ukraine on Friday. Shortly afterwards, there were reports from the Russian city of Belgorod on the other side of the border that five people had been killed there by Ukrainian fire.
The night into Saturday also began with an air alert for the north-east of Ukraine close to the front. According to the air force, Russian combat drones flew over Ukraine. The country has been fending off a large-scale Russian invasion for two and a half years.
Was the Ukrainian F-16 hit by its own air defense?
"I have decided to dismiss the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force," said Zelenskyi in his evening video address on Friday. He thanked all members of the air force who really achieved results for Ukraine. "This also applies to the command level. We must become stronger. And preserve our people."
Shortly before his dismissal, Oleshchuk criticized a member of parliament who questioned the official version of the crash. She was promoting Russian propaganda, he wrote, and threatened to take her to court. The loss of the plane would be investigated, also in cooperation with the manufacturer, the USA. Defense politician Marjana Besuhla had written on the social network X that the plane had been hit by a Ukrainian Patriot air defense system due to a lack of coordination.
Dead in Kharkiv as in Belgorod
According to official reports, at least five people were killed by Ukrainian fire in Belgorod, a large Russian city close to the border. In addition, at least 46 people were injured, including 7 children, according to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. Because the Russian army uses the Belgorod border region as the starting point for its attacks on Kharkiv, the region is frequently shelled by the Ukrainian side.
In Kharkiv, seven people were killed by a Russian air strike, including a 14-year-old girl. According to military governor Oleh Synjehubov, at least 97 people were injured, including 22 minors. According to official information, articulated aerial bombs hit a twelve-storey residential building, which was partially destroyed.
"A strike that would not have happened if our defense forces had the ability to destroy Russian military aircraft where they are stationed," said Selenskyj in a message on Telegram. In view of the destruction, he once again called for the release of long-range Western weapons against targets in Russia.
USA wants to help with air defense
Zelenskyi's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak and Defense Minister Umyerov are holding talks with the USA in Washington on this issue. Following a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon, Umyerov said that the US was analyzing the Ukrainians' arguments and that he hoped he had been heard. However, Austin said after the meeting that Ukraine's air defense should be strengthened. The United States wanted to push for this at the next meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group in Ramstein next week.
The television station CNN had reported in advance that the Ukrainian side also wanted to present the US government with a list of potential targets in Russia. By hitting Russian command posts, airfields, ammunition depots and barracks, Ukraine could fend off many attacks right from the start. So far, the USA has limited the use of its weapons against Russia to defending against the Russian offensive against Kharkiv.
Where are the EU states training Ukrainian soldiers?
The EU states have set themselves a new goal for the training of Ukrainian armed forces. According to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, a further 15,000 soldiers are to be trained in the European Union by the end of the year. Together with the soldiers already trained, this would bring the total number to 75,000, the Spaniard said after a meeting of defense ministers in Brussels.
According to Borrell, there is still no unified position on the question of whether Ukrainian soldiers should also be trained in Ukraine itself in future. Several EU states had previously shown themselves to be open to this. "We have to take military and political considerations into account, but we are not ruling out this possibility," said Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson. Training in Ukraine is a security issue for the trainers from EU countries. Some states, such as Poland, consider training on their territory to be too costly.
