Slovakian MiG-29s Delivered To Ukraine Now Operational
The deputy speaker of Ukraine’s parliament has revealed that the first four MiG-29 fighters donated by Slovakia to Ukraine are now in service with the Ukrainian Air Force.
In a speech to the Slovakian parliament on March 29, Olena Kondratiuk, deputy speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, said that the MiG-29s were now defending the airspace over the city of Kharkiv. The New Voice of Ukraine quotes her as telling Slovak lawmakers that “on behalf of all Ukrainians whose lives are protected by the Air Force, I express my great thanks to you”.
Kondratiuk thanked Slovakia for the humanitarian and other military aid supplied, as well as its diplomatic support for Ukraine, in particular Bratislava’s recognition of Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and support for the creation of an international tribunal for Ukrainian war criminals.
Slovakia had announced on March 23 that it had delivered the first four of 13 MiG-29s it had pledged to donate to Ukraine, releasing video of Ukrainian pilots flying them to Ukraine for use. Slovakia had pledged to deliver the fighters on March 17, following a Polish pledge to donate 20 of its MiG-29s. However, Warsaw has yet to release any information confirming the delivery of ex-Polish MiG-29s to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s military, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, has continued to call for the provision of F-16s and similar modern combat aircraft to Ukraine. On Thursday, Zhaluzhnyi posted that “Ukraine needs F-16s” on his official Telegram channel, alongside a video from tactical aviation brigade commander Oleksiy Maniushkin saying that the Ukrainian MiG-29s were obsolete. In the video, Maniushkin added that F-16s would be able to employ AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles and other NATO standard weapons better than the MiG-29s.
The post comes a day after Air Force spokesman Colonel Yurii Ihnat said that Kyiv needed a “positive decision” from its allies to facilitate the deliveries of F-16s and other modern aircraft to its air force, and allow the Air Force to begin preparations and training for their deployment.
Ukrinform quotes Ihnat as saying on the United News information telethon that while the MiG-29s pledged by Poland and Slovakia would “certainly somewhat strengthen” the Ukrainian Air Force’s capabilities, the aircraft had limited upgrades and did not have modern radar or missiles. Ihnat added that a decision to approve F-16 deliveries was needed “now”, as the Air Force could not afford further delays in preparing for the use of Western aircraft.