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Poland supplied first MiG-29 jets to Ukraine: official

03.04.2023 14:30
A senior aide to the Polish president has said that Poland has already transferred the first batch of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine to help Kyiv fight the Russian invasion.
The MiG-29 fighter jets.
The MiG-29 fighter jets.PAP/Adam Warżawa

Marcin Przydacz made the statement in a radio interview on Monday, Polish state news agency PAP reported. 

Asked whether Poland had delivered the first batch of the MiG-29 fighter aircraft it had pledged to give to Ukraine, the official told private broadcaster RMF 24: “According to my information, this process has already been completed, that is, the transfer of this first part.”

He added that during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s upcoming visit to Poland on Wednesday, “there will be talks about further support for Ukraine.”

Przydacz, who is the top foreign-policy aide to Polish President Andrzej Duda, stated: “Several MiG-29 fighter jets have already been sent to Ukraine, they really help Ukraine defend the security of us all.”

Fighter jets for Ukraine

On March 16, Poland’s Duda told reporters that his country would provide Ukraine with four MIG-29 fighter jets "in the coming days."

He added that the remaining machines “are being serviced and prepared for handover” in the future.  

On March 17, the Slovak government approved a plan to supply its fleet of 13 MIG-29 warplanes to help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian assault, according to news outlets.

On March 23, Slovakia delivered the first four MIG-29 fighter jets to Kyiv, the Slovak defence ministry announced.

The Polish president said last month that Poland would replace its fleet of Soviet-designed jets with new FA-50 aircraft from South Korea, the first of which are expected to arrive by the end of the year, followed by squadrons of US-made F-35 aircraft.

Meanwhile, Slovakia has ordered twelve US-made AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and 500 Hellfire II air-to-ground missiles, the PAP news agency reported.

On March 30, Ukrainian officials said the first of the Slovak-provided MiG-29 fighter jets were already taking part in combat missions in the northeastern Kharkiv region. 

Ukraine has urged its allies to provide fighter jets so it can defend its airspace and more effectively counterattack against the invading Russian troops, according to news outlets. 

So far, no country has decided to send Western-built fighter jets, although several allies, such as Britain, have not ruled out such a move, The Kyiv Independent reported.

Monday is day 404 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

(pm)

Source: PAP, The Kyiv Independent