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Berlin lets Warsaw hand over to Kiev 5 MiG-29s from East Germany’s reserves — Der Spiegel

Six such aircraft, which are currently undergoing maintenance, may be handed over to the Ukrainian side soon

BERLIN, April 13. /TASS/. The German government has allowed Poland to transfer Soviet-made fighter jets, received by Warsaw from the stockpiles of former East Germany, to Ukraine, Der Spiegel magazine said on Thursday. The TV channel N-TV says that five fighters from the former GDR’s fleet are in question.

Earlier on Thursday, it became known that the Polish authorities had officially asked the German government to approve the delivery of MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine. Warsaw had already announced in March that it would supply Kiev with Soviet-made MiG-29 fighters. However, according to Der Spiegel, no planes have been delivered to Ukraine so far.

In 2002, Germany sold 23 MiG-29s from the former GDR stocks to Poland. According to the Polish side, it has "about a dozen" such fighters. In early April, Marcin Przydacz, a representative of the Polish president in charge of international affairs, said on the RMF radio station that the Polish authorities had handed over several MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine.

Earlier, Ukraine had already received four MiG-29 fighters from Poland. Later, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Warsaw was transferring four more MiG-29s to Kiev. Six such aircraft, which are currently undergoing maintenance, may be handed over to the Ukrainian side soon.