Former Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk comments on his dismissal with Zaluzhnyi's phrase
Former Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykola Oleshchuk (phioto: Getty Images)
On Friday, August 30, Mykola Oleshchuk was relieved from his position as Commander of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He commented on the Ukrainian president's decision with a statement from Zaluzhnyi, according to his Telegram post.
"However difficult it may be for us, we will certainly not be ashamed," he wrote at 11:37 PM, attributing the phrase to former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
Oleshchuk's dismissal
On August 30, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Mykola Oleshchuk from his position as Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The corresponding decree No. 600 was published on the President’s Office website.
In an evening address, Zelenskyy commented on the decision.
"I decided to replace the Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I am immensely grateful to all our military pilots, engineers, members of mobile fire groups, and air defense crews. To everyone who is truly fighting for Ukraine - fighting for results. And this is needed at the command level as well - we must strengthen ourselves. And protect people. Protect the personnel. Protect all our warriors," the president said.
What preceded the dismissal
On Thursday, August 29, media reports spread about a crash involving one of the recently received F-16 fighters in Ukraine.
Later, the Air Force announced the death of one of Ukraine's top pilots, Oleksii Mes. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces also confirmed the information.
On August 30, Oleshchuk commented on the aviation accident. He stated that the incident occurred on August 26, during a major Russian attack on Ukraine.
"The highest command immediately received a report on the crash. We received a preliminary report, and our US partners, who have joined the investigation into the causes, have also been informed," he wrote on Telegram.
The day before, MP Mariana Bezuhla claimed to have information about the F-16 crash, stating that the aircraft was shot down by a Patriot missile system due to a lack of coordination between units.
"Two previous incidents, which were not related to the F-16, were officially attributed to the Russians. And there was an attempt to keep this case silent and conceal the information until it appeared in foreign sources," Bezuhla said.
In response, Oleshchuk posted a message noting that in wartime conditions, such information cannot immediately enter the public domain. However, he added, "This does not matter to the people who chose Mariana Bezuhla as a tool to discredit the top military leadership."
"It will not be possible to pin everything on the army," he concluded.
