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Poland to transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine during the year

Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk said this requires a government decision, as well as Ukraine’s transfer of UAV production and countermeasure technologies to Poland

© Omar Marques/ Getty Images

MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. Poland will transfer decommissioned Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to Kiev by the end of 2026, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk said on Radio Zet.

"It’s a matter of months. Will it be this year? Yes, I think it will definitely be this year. I would say the MiGs handover should take place this year," Tomczyk noted, answering a question from the radio host. The Polish Defense Ministry official said this requires a government decision, as well as Ukraine’s transfer of UAV production and countermeasure technologies to Poland.

On January 15, Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski said Warsaw was ready to hand over to Kiev up to nine MiG-29 fighter jets. He added that negotiations were underway with the Ukrainian military regarding the technical details of the aircraft transfer.

In December, Tomczyk announced Poland’s plans to transfer six to eight MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine, which Poland was supposed to decommission by the end of 2025. A total of 14 aircraft of this type were planned to be retired from the Polish Air Force.

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