Top Air Defense Official Fired Over Jet’s Downing
- Share via
The chief of Ukraine’s air defense forces has been fired over last month’s downing of a Russian passenger plane by a missile, the press service for President Leonid D. Kuchma said.
Volodymyr Tkachov was the second top official to lose his job as a result of the accident. Three weeks ago, Defense Minister Oleksandr Kuzmuk resigned.
Kuchma introduced the new defense minister, Volodymyr Shkidchenko, to the country’s top defense officials Wednesday.
The Tu-154 crashed into the Black Sea on Oct. 4, killing all 78 people on board. Russian investigators concluded that the plane was downed by a Ukrainian S-200 missile launched during military exercises on the Crimean peninsula.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
