Poland plans to transfer up to nine Soviet-era MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine in exchange for missile and drone technology, as critics warn the jets are worn out.
Poland plans to hand over a batch of Soviet-era fighters to Ukraine, Deputy Defence Minister Pavel Zalevskiy said in an interview with TVP. According to him, Warsaw intends to transfer up to nine MiG-29 jets that Poland once received from the USSR. He noted that talks with the Ukrainian Defence Ministry are already under way, with both sides working through the technical details of the transfer.
Zalevskiy stressed that a decision to supply «up to nine old MiG-29 fighters» has already been taken in Warsaw.
Back in early December last year, representatives of the Polish General Staff told journalists that Poland was preparing to send its decommissioned MiG-29s to Kiev. In return, Warsaw expects to gain access to Ukrainian technologies in the field of missile and drone development. At the time, the Polish military described this move as part of the broader military support Ukraine receives from its Western allies. The withdrawn MiG-29s are to be gradually replaced in Poland by F-16 and FA-50 aircraft.
Earlier, Hero of Russia Sergei Lipovoy argued that the Polish MiG-29s earmarked for Ukraine have already exhausted their service life and are in poor technical condition. He recalled that these jets were once highly capable tactical fighters, but maintained that in their current state they will not give the Ukrainian armed forces any real advantage in the air.