In his first public remarks since being discharged, the former head of Ukraine’s Air Force has broken his silence after he was removed from office following a fatal incident involving a fighter pilot and a Western-supplied F-16 jet.
Mykola Oleshchuk was dismissed by Volodymyr Zelensky last Friday, days after the tragic F-16 crash on August 26 that claimed the life of Lt. Col. Oleksiy Mes, known among his squadron as “Moonfish.”
Stepping in as acting Ukrainian Air Force Commander is Lt. Gen. Anatoly Kryvonozhko.
Without providing context for the decision, Zelensky said: “We need to protect people. Protect personnel. Take care of all our soldiers.”
Oleshchuk also refrained from delving into the particulars, instead sharing thoughts on Telegram from Valery Zaluzhny, the ex-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The cryptic post read: “No matter how difficult it may be for us, there will definitely be no shame.”
Amidst an onslaught of Russian missiles, Oleshchuk has engaged in disputes with certain political figures over apportioning blame for the F-16 crash.
A provisional assessment reported by The New York Times cites unnamed Western officials suspecting “indications” that an errant shot from a Patriot missile system might have been responsible for bringing down the aircraft.
Mariana Bezuhla, a Ukrainian politician and member of the parliamentary defence committee, has accused the air force and high command in Ukraine of fostering a “culture of lies”.
This accusation was met with backlash from Oleshchuk, who claimed that Bezuhla was discrediting Ukraine’s military leadership.
Ukrainian journalist Ilia Ponomarenko wrote on X: “A proper investigation into the death of Colonel Oleksiy ‘Moonfish’ Mes with international involvement is critically necessary. We’re waiting for proper answers on what happened and why.”
In early August, Ukraine announced it had finally received its first batch of F-16 jets, which it had been eagerly awaiting. It was hoped these would alter the dynamics on the battlefield for Kyiv’s forces, who have been reliant on Soviet-era aircraft.
Among those trained to operate these fourth-generation aircraft at the Skrysdtrup base in Denmark was Colonel Mes.
In February, he described the training as “condensed” to Ukrainian media, likening flying the aircraft to transitioning from a “Nokia straight to an iPhone, without all those steps in between.”
The loss of Mes, a valued pilot, and one of the fighter jets Ukraine had waited months for, has dealt a significant blow to the country’s fight against Russian aggression.
Mes was a frequent presence in the media and had visited Washington to lobby the US to send Ukraine F-16s, meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Since Joe Biden authorised the transfer of US-made aircraft to Ukraine in August 2023, NATO allies have committed approximately 65 F-16s.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed at the Globsec conference in Prague on Saturday that the F-16s provided by Copenhagen are “working in Ukraine”, as reported by the Kyiv Independent.
