Zelenskyy dismisses head of Ukrainian Air Force four days after loss of F16 fighter jet

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 a few minutes after the order was published.

He said Ukraine needed to strengthen its army at the command level.

Lieutenant General Anatolii Kryvonozhko has been appointed deputy commander of the Air Force, the Army General Staff said.

The dismissal came on the same day that Mr Oleshchuk sharply criticized a lawmaker who is deputy chair of the Ukrainian parliament's defense committee for claiming that the F16 was shot down by a Patriot air defense system. Ukraine has received an unspecified number of the US-made systems.

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

Mr Oleshchuk accused Ms Bezuhla of defaming the Air Force and discrediting US arms manufacturers and expressed hope that her allegations would lead to legal consequences.

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

The Air Force did not directly deny that the F16 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 in a playground, and injured 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.

In addition, Ukrainian missiles hit the Russian city of Belgorod and its surroundings late Friday, killing five people and injuring 37, said regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

The region borders northern Ukraine and is subjected to drone and artillery attacks almost daily.

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.

F16 fighter jets are among the weapons that could be used to attack Russian bases behind the front line.

Mr Oleshchuk said on Telegram that “a detailed analysis” was already being carried out to find out why the F16 plane crashed on Monday, as Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine.