FIRST FOUR SLOVAK MIG-29 FIGHTER JETS HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED TO UKRAINE

The first four Slovak MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jets have been safely handed over to the Ukrainian Air Force, with nine more remaining expected to be delivered in the coming weeks. The Fulcrums were flown to Ukraine by Ukrainian Air Force pilots, with help from the Slovak Air Force, Ukrainian personnel, and other staff supporting the safe and secure transfer of the combat aircraft and associated records and documentation.

In a statement, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “I want to thank all those involved for the fantastic professional work they have put in. Slovakia is on the right side, and with this gesture, we as a country have written ourselves in capital letters in modern world history, which speak of timely assistance, sincere solidarity and the greatness of the nation.”

Repeating his earlier argument, Defence Minister Naď said that Ukraine has been provided with equipment that is unusable in our conditions, because we have no way of servicing it.

The MOD is set to hand the remainder of the Slovak Air Force's MiG-29 fleet over to Ukraine in the coming weeks, but cannot disclose details of the transfer for operational security reasons. Nevertheless, the transfer will be confirmed immediately once the MiG-29s have been safely handed over and transferred to the Ukrainian side, as with this case.

The donation to Kyiv of 13 Soviet-era MiG-29 Fulcrums and some of the SA-6 "Gainful" ("Kub") surface-to-air missile (SAM) system's assets comes as the Slovak Government approved the transfer and Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď and Ambassador of Ukraine to Slovakia Myroslav Kastran signed the respective intergovernmental agreement in Bratislava on 17 March 2023.