Mykola Oleshchuk

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Mykolaiovych and the family name is Oleshchuk.

Mykola Mykolaiovych Oleshchuk (Ukrainian: Микола Миколайович Олещук; born 25 May 1972) is a Ukrainian lieutenant general who served as the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force from 2021 to 2024.

Mykola Oleshchuk
Микола Олещук
Oleshchuk in 2021
Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force[1]
In office 9 August 2021 – 30 August 2024
President	Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Prime Minister	Denys Shmyhal
Preceded by	Serhii Drozdov
Succeeded by	Anatolii Kryvonozhko
Personal details
Born	Mykola Mykolaiovych Oleshchuk (1972-05-25) 25 May 1972 (age 52) Lutsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Alma mater	Ivan Chernyakhovsky National Defense University of Ukraine, Kharkiv National University, Zhytomyr Radio-Technical Institute
Awards	Hero of Ukraine Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky 3d class
Military service
Allegiance	Ukraine
Years of service	1993–present
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands	Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force
Battles/wars	Russo-Ukrainian War War in Donbas Russian invasion of Ukraine

Biography

He was born in Lutsk on 25 May 1972.

He graduated from the Zhytomyr Radio-Technical Institute [uk] in 1994. In 2004, he graduated from Kharkiv National University with distinction and in 2010, he graduated from the Ivan Chernyakhovsky National Defense University of Ukraine. During his service in the Ukrainian Air Force, he specialized on the S-300 missile system.^[2]

He was appointed commander of the Ukrainian Air Force on 9 August 2021.^[1]

On 14 October 2021, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.^[3]

On 30 August 2024, he was fired by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a day after it was announced that an F-16 had crashed on 26 August.^[4][5] He was replaced by Anatolii Kryvonozhko.^[4]

Awards

On 26 April 2022, Oleshchuk was awarded the third class Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky.^[6]

On 14 October 2022, Oleshchuk was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine by President of Ukraine.^[7]

References

1. "New commanders of Air Assault Forces and Air Force presented". Ukrayinska Pravda (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
2. "Mykola Oleschuk". Ministry of Defence (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
3. "Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 537/2021". President of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
4. "Ukraine's air force commander dismissed after F-16 crash". Reuters. 30 August 2024.
5. "President Zelensky sacks Ukraine air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk".
6. Decree of the President of Ukraine from 26 квітня 2022 year № 281/2022 «Про відзначення державними нагородами України» (in Ukrainian)
7. Decree of the President of Ukraine from 14 жовтня 2022 year № 715/2022 «Про присвоєння М.Олещуку звання Герой України» (in Ukrainian)