KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday dismissed the country’s air force chief, a day after Kyiv said a US-made F-16 fighter jet had crashed in combat, killing the pilot.

In a video message Zelensky said he had “decided to replace the commander of the air force” to strengthen Ukraine’s military leadership. His office earlier published a presidential decree to officially remove Mykola Oleshchuk from the post.

The crash of the F-16 was a high-profile setback for Kyiv, which had lobbied the West to send the advanced fighter jet for months. It was the first reported loss, just weeks after Ukraine first started taking delivery of the supersonic aircraft.

The military had said the plane and pilot crashed during a combat mission earlier this week after having shot down incoming Russian missiles. Lawmaker Mariana Bezugla, who sits on a parliamentary defence, security and intelligence committee, claimed the F-16 was shot down by Ukraine’s own air defence systems in a case of friendly fire.

In response to those allegations Oleshchuk earlier on Friday accused her of trying to discredit Ukraine’s military leaders, and said a full investigation into the incident was underway. Zelensky did not provide further details on why he had decided to replace his air force commander, saying only that his command team “needed to get stronger”.

Lieutenant General Anatolii Kryvonozhko, who leads the air force’s operations in the central part of Ukraine, would temporarily assume the role of overall commander, the air force said.

It is not the first time Zelensky has removed a senior military leader. Earlier this year he removed popular commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2024