Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk on Friday, just a day after Ukraine’s Air Force reported the death of one of their top pilots in a crash involving a US-made F-16 fighter jet.
In his nightly address on Friday, Zelensky emphasized the need to “strengthen” the Air Force’s command structure but did not explicitly link Oleshchuk’s removal to Monday’s F-16 crash.
“I am infinitely grateful to all our military pilots, engineers, soldiers of mobile fire groups, air defense units. To everyone who really fights for Ukraine. And it is necessary also at the command level: We must strengthen. And protect people. Protect personnel. Take care of all our soldiers,” he said.
Lieutenant General Anatoliy Kryvonozhka has been appointed as the acting Air Force commander.
Ukraine’s air defenses have been heavily strained under relentless Russian aerial attacks.
The crash that claimed the life of F-16 pilot Oleksiy Mes, known as “Moonfish,” occurred as he was “repelling the biggest ever aerial attack” by Russia, according to a Ukrainian military source. Moonfish was among the few pilots trained to fly the recently delivered F-16s, making his loss particularly devastating for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Defense Forces do not suspect pilot error in the incident, the source added.
Earlier on Friday, Zelensky used the recent wave of attacks to urge Western nations to increase their military support for Ukraine.
He pointed to a deadly strike in Kharkiv, saying, “would not have happened if our Defense Forces had the ability to destroy Russian military aircraft where they are based. We need strong decisions from our partners to stop this terror.”
“This is an absolutely fair need. And there is no rational reason to limit Ukraine’s defense. We need long-range capabilities,” he added.
The Kharkiv strike claimed the lives of several people, including a child in a playground, with local authorities reporting at least five dead and 28 injured.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said, “The occupiers killed a child right on the playground. A girl,” while others perished in a burning high-rise building. The city center was also hit by a gliding bomb, Terekhov said.
As Kyiv advances, Moscow has escalated its strikes on Ukraine. Ukrainian forces have made further inroads into Russia’s western Kursk region, advancing up to two kilometers (about 1.2 miles) over the past 24 hours, according to Ukraine’s army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
During a staff meeting, Zelensky underscored the importance of bolstering the “exchange fund” of forces to “strengthen our positions.”
While the Ukrainian offensive and Russian aerial response have drawn attention away from the eastern front, Syrskyi noted that “fighting of varying intensity” continues along the entire front line.
The situation remains particularly tense in the Pokrovsk sector, where Russian forces are attempting to breach Ukrainian defenses.
Syrskyi reported that “as of this morning all attacks have been repelled, the enemy has not succeeded.”
Russian troops have intensified their efforts to capture Pokrovsk, a key target in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, while also grappling with the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk.
The front line has drawn so close to Pokrovsk that the fighting was audible in the town center, according to a CNN team on the ground.
Pokrovsk’s strategic significance lies in its location on a vital supply road connecting it with other military hubs, forming a critical component of Ukrainian defenses in the remaining Kyiv-controlled part of Donetsk.
Fighting is also fierce in Karlivka, located about 30 kilometers (or 18.6 miles) southeast of Pokrovsk. A serviceman from Ukraine’s 59th brigade reported, “Today the enemy is actively trying to enter Karlivka.
The fighting is ongoing right now, there are many of them.” Despite the intensity of the battle, Russian forces have yet to take control of the town, though “the situation is difficult,” he added.
