President Zelensky has fired Ukraine’s longtime Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk, according to a just published official government decree issued Friday night (local). The major surprise development comes the day after the Ukrainian government belatedly confirmed that on Monday a US-made F-16 fighter jet was destroyed or crashed amid a major Russian missile and drone assault on the country. The Wall Street Journal had called the crash and death “a major blow for Kyiv” following President Biden’s somewhat reluctant greenlight given for European allies to begin transferring the F-16s last year. That aircraft downing, which is surrounded in ambiguity given Kiev initially claimed that it was not shot down, but that it crashed – killed the man widely considered to be Ukraine’s top pilot Oleksiy “Moonfish” Mes. Zelensky said that Mes crashed while busy intercepting inbound Russian projectiles which were pummeling several oblasts across Ukraine in the huge attack which started early this week. The order to dismiss Lt. Gen. Oleshchuk has been formally published on the presidential website. “We need to protect people. Protect personnel. Take care of all our soldiers,” Zelensky said in an accompanying brief address. He further cited the need to protect and solidify the military at the command level. Oleshchuk had been overseeing an investigation into the circumstances […]