Zelensky asked Slovakia for a batch of MiG-29 aircraft
Slovak Defense Minister Yaroslav Nagy told the local RTVS television channel that Bratislava intends to transfer MiG-29AS fighters to Ukraine. According to him, the aircraft will be taken out of service by the end of August, then, apparently, the transfer will take place. How many fighters will be transferred to Kyiv, the minister did not specify.
According to some reports, the Slovak Air Force is armed with up to 12 MiG-29 fighters, two of which are trainers. The condition of the remaining vehicles is also unknown, according to some reports, at least half are in combat readiness.
To protect the country's airspace, Bratislava is counting on the help of the Czech Republic and Poland, with which it has been negotiating this for several months. The Czech Republic is armed with JAS-39C Gripen fighters, and Poland uses F-16C aircraft.
How much this "fraternal help" will be useful to Kyiv is a big question. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, since the beginning of the special operation, the Ukrainian Air Force has already lost about 270 aircraft. If the Slovak MiGs nevertheless get to the Ukrainian airfields, given that the sky over the country is completely controlled by the Russian Aerospace Forces, and manage to take off from them, then they will definitely not have any significant impact on the combat situation. Recently, a news story showed a pilot of the Russian Aerospace Forces, who received the title of Hero of Russia for the fact that he alone shot down eight enemy aircraft during the NMD. It will be difficult for old fighters to leave our air defense as well. And servicing fighter jets, which, by the way, will arrive disassembled during ground transportation, will be problematic in Ukraine due to the lack of full-fledged specialized industrial facilities.
Another thing is Slovakia itself, which spends 70% of the country's Air Force budget on the maintenance of these fighters. Moreover, the last contract for their modernization was signed with RAC "MiG" in 2004, now, of course, the Russian company does not service these aircraft. In addition, experts suggest, Bratislava can keep the most combat-ready fighters just in case, and not the best aircraft will be handed over to Kyiv.
Another self-interest of the Slovaks is that by handing over the old fighters to Ukraine, Zelensky, who asked for them, they expect to speed up the deal for the supply of 14 American F-16s. Such an agreement between Bratislava and Washington already exists, but the terms have not yet been determined. Now the Slovaks can rush the Americans, pointing out that they gave Ukraine the last.
In principle, story with the supply of Slovak MiG-29s to Ukraine reflects the general concept of assistance from the West, especially European countries, to Kyiv - to give what is not needed and receive something newer in return.
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