The Polish media have investigated why their MiG fighters will rot at an airbase instead of assisting Ukraine.
Polish MiG-29 / © Wikipedia
Negotiations between Kyiv and Warsaw regarding the transfer of Polish MiG-29 fighter jets have reached an impasse, with public statements from Polish officials obscuring the actual technical condition of the aircraft and discrepancies in agreements.
This is according to information from the Polish publication Onet.
In recent weeks, the issue of MiG-29 fighter jets, which remain in the possession of the Polish Air Force, has resurfaced with renewed intensity. Warsaw publicly accused Ukraine of refusing to share advanced drone technologies in exchange for aviation assets.
It has emerged that behind the political disputes concerning the “exchange of aircraft for Ukrainian drone technologies” lies the simple unsuitability of the equipment for safe flight without substantial investment.
According to the publication’s sources, following an inspection of the Soviet-era fighters, Ukrainian delegations concluded that their technical state was so poor that they would only accept them on the condition that Poland would modernize the aircraft at its own expense.
“We could not agree to that,” a source connected to the Polish government told Onet.
The problem is that these aircraft, currently stationed at the 22nd tactical airbase in Malbork, have not been modernized for years, as Poland is gradually replacing them with newer equipment: F-16s, FA-50s, and F-35s.
Ukrainian experts assessed the fighter jets as significantly worn out. The poor condition of the landing gear was of particular concern. They expressed readiness to accept the Polish aircraft but set a condition: the aircraft must first undergo major overhaul and modernization at the Polish Military Aviation Works in Bydgoszcz. The costs were to be borne by the Polish side.
“After the full-scale war began, the Ukrainians started repairing and modernizing their MiGs at factories in Bydgoszcz. They paid for these services from their own budget. This time, they wanted our government to pay for it,” stated a source associated with the Polish arms industry.
For the Polish Ministry of National Defence, Kyiv’s demands proved unacceptable, as modernizing the Soviet-era machines would incur enormous expenses, with no tangible return offered by the Ukrainian side.
“When Poland refused to finance this work, the Ukrainians lost interest in our MiGs,” claims an Onet source. A similar statement was also confirmed by a source from the Ministry of Defence.
It was only when questions began to arise in the public sphere regarding when Poland would transfer the MiGs to Ukraine that the Polish government decided to link this issue to the problem of a lack of technological transfer from Ukraine.
Onet’s interlocutors emphasize that Ukrainians are still interested in acquiring Polish fighter jets. However, during the negotiations, the Ukrainian side allegedly “played hardball, setting tough, complex conditions.” Meanwhile, the Polish side failed to clarify what exactly it expected in return.
“Drone technology is such a broad concept that anything can be woven into it. The problem is that the Polish Ministry of National Defence could not discuss specifics, so the Ukrainians refused to participate. This is a festival of incompetence. Unfortunately, politics has interfered in the picture from both sides, causing significant damage,” says a source for the publication.
The publication’s interlocutor notes that relations between the two countries are currently so strained that even if Poland does not need certain equipment and it would be better to give it to Ukraine, it will not do so for free.
According to Polish military officials, although the negotiations for transferring MiGs to Ukraine have stalled, the issue is not entirely closed. Firstly, these aircraft, if modernized, would have real value for the Ukrainian armed forces.
Secondly, if they do not reach Ukraine, Poland will soon have to decide what to do with them: how to preserve them and where to put them. “Soon, this equipment will become practically irreparable,” states a Polish Air Force pilot.
The publication reminds that in 2023, Poland transferred 11 combat MiGs and three aircraft intended for spare parts to Ukraine. Slovakia, in turn, provided ten of its fighter jets to Ukraine. Ukraine already possessed over 20 of its own aircraft. This means that the Ukrainian Air Force currently has fewer than three full squadrons of MiG-29 fighter jets.
We remind you that Poland is decommissioning MiG-29 fighter jets that it had planned to transfer to Ukraine.
Poland stated that it expected to receive drone technology from the Ukrainians in exchange for the aircraft. However, the deal – at least for now – has fallen through. Poland’s Minister of National Defence, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, blames Ukraine.
The news about the cancellation of the deal and the subsequent decommissioning of the fighter jets that Poland had promised to transfer to Ukraine has sparked a lively discussion among users of the Threads social network.
In turn, an expert suggested that these decommissioned aircraft could be used as a source of spare parts to maintain the combat readiness of Ukrainian aviation.
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