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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Zelensky fires Ukrainian Air Force commander after F-16 crash |
| 2024-08-31 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [Regnum] The head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, fired the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Nikolai Oleshchuk. Zelensky's corresponding decree was published on August 30. “Dismiss Nikolai Nikolaevich Oleshchuk from the post of commander of the air forces of the armed forces of Ukraine,” the text of the decree says. In his Telegram channel, Zelensky explained Oleshchuk's dismissal by saying that it was "time to draw conclusions." The head of the Kyiv regime also thanked the pilots and representatives of some other military specialties, including "air defense crews." As reported by the Regnum news agency, the press service of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on August 29 that during the military operations, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost their first F-16 fighter. According to the agency's representatives, the aircraft were used to repel a missile attack by Russian servicemen. During the operation, contact with one of the pilots was lost, and it was later discovered that the fighter had crashed, the report noted. Verkhovna Rada deputy Maryana Bezuglaya, in turn, stated that the F-16 was shot down by a Ukrainian Patriot missile. According to her, the fighter jet piloted by Oleksiy Mes was shot down by a Patriot anti-aircraft missile system due to "discoordination" between the Ukrainian Armed Forces units. According to Bezuglaya, air defense systems hit the fighter jet on August 26 during a massive strike by the Russian Armed Forces. She added that this is at least the third time that Ukrainian air defense systems have shot down their own aircraft by mistake. Oleshchuk earlier on August 30 accused Bezuglya of lying and “discrediting the United States,” whose fighter jets were supplied to Ukraine, and threatened her with legal action. Associate Professor of the Department of Political Analysis and Socio-Psychological Processes at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics Oleg Glazunov told the Regnum news agency that the loss of the F-16 fighter by Ukraine was another failure for the United States. The expert recalled that the American aircraft have not yet begun to carry out combat missions, but are already suffering losses. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #3 Someone didn't update their daily IFF codes. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2024-08-31 07:46 |
| #2 |
| Posted by: Grom the Reflective 2024-08-31 02:27 |
| #1 Although with the firing I would think this leans more towards friendly fire |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2024-08-31 02:20 |