Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired the head of the nation’s air force on Friday amid rumors that a Ukrainian F-16 jet was shot down by friendly fire.
Though Zelenskyy provided no direct reason for removing Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleschuk, his decision comes a day after the Ukrainian military confirmed one of its F-16s had crashed, killing pilot Oleksiy Mes, on Aug. 26. The Ukrainian pilot had reportedly been deployed in the skies over Ukraine to help shoot down an incoming wave of Russian drones and cruise missiles when his aircraft went down.
At a Thursday press briefing, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said she couldn’t be certain whether the Ukrainian F-16 crash was the result of friendly fire potentially involving a Western-donated Patriot air defense missile system.