Ukraine’s air force commander has been dismissed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after an F-16 crash earlier this week, that an MP claimed was “friendly fire”.
Lieutenant Colonel Oleksiy Mes was killed while defending Ukraine’s skies from a huge Russian aerial attack at the start of the week.
Ukrainian MP Mariana Bezuhla claimed the jet was hit in an act of friendly fire by a US Patriot missile.
In response, air force commander Mykola Oleschuk said her words were a “tool to discredit the top military leadership”.
But the air force did not directly deny that the F-16 was hit by a Patriot missile.
Now, Mr Zelenskyy has dismissed Lt. Gen. Oleshchuk and US experts are aiding the investigation into the crash.
The order was published on the presidential website.
“We need to protect people. Protect personnel. Take care of all our soldiers,” Mr Zelenskyy said in an address minutes after the order was published.
He added that Ukraine needs to strengthen its army on the command level.
Lt. Gen. Anatolii Kryvonozhko was appointed acting air force commander, the army’s general staff said.
Elsewhere in the war in Ukraine:
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has renewed calls to Western allies to allow long-range attacks on Russia
• In the Kursk incursion, Ukraine’s top commander claimed his forces advanced 2km in the past 24 hours
• Russian forces have taken control of more settlements in eastern Ukraine, according to state media
• European Union defence ministers agreed to boost their training programme for Ukrainian troops
• A Russian newspaper publisher was sentenced to eight years after reporting on Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine, according to rights activists
• And the Kremlin insists it has “no worries” as President Vladimir Putin visits Mongolia, a country that is a member of the International Criminal Court, which last year issued a warrant for his arrest
Girl, 14, among the dead in Kharkiv attack
Cars burn after a Russian air strike in Kharkiv.
Pic: Reuters
Paramedics carry a person rescued from an apartment building after a Russian air strike in Kharkiv.
Pic: Reuters
An apartment building burns after a Russian air strike in Kharkiv.
Pic: Reuters
A 14-year-old girl was killed in a Russian attack on Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials have said.
At least six people were killed in all, as a 12-storey building was hit alongside a playground, in the industrial district.
The Russian-guided bomb attack in the northeastern city also left 55 people injured.
About 20 of the injured were in severe condition, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
“Occupiers killed a child right on the playground,” Ihor Terekhov, the city’s mayor, said on Telegram.
Ukraine’s second-largest city has long been a target for Russia, ever since its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Firefighters rescue a girl from the residential building hit in Kharkiv. Pic: Reuters
Video from the site of the Kharkiv attack, shared by Mr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, showed huge flames and black smoke rising from the upper floors of the building.
The US ambassador to Ukraine described the Kharkiv attack as a “war crime” and called for Russia to be held accountable.
In light of the attack, the Ukrainian president renewed his calls to Western allies to allow him to use their weapons in long-range attacks on Russia.
“A strike … would not have happened if our defence forces had the ability to destroy Russian military aircraft where they are based. We need strong decisions from our partners to stop this terror,” Mr Zelenskyy said.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Ukrainian authorities said Friday’s attack involved five aerial-guided bombs launched from planes in Russia’s Belgorod region.