Polish media investigated why their MiG fighters would rot at an airbase instead of assisting Ukraine.
Polish MiG-29 / © Wikipedia
Negotiations between Kyiv and Warsaw concerning the transfer of Polish MiG-29 fighter jets have reached an impasse, with public statements from Polish officials concealing the actual technical condition of the aircraft and discrepancies in the agreements.
This is according to the Polish publication Onet.
In recent weeks, the topic of MiG-29 fighter jets, remaining in the inventory 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 over “exchanging aircraft for Ukrainian drone technologies” lies the simple unsuitability of the equipment for safe flight without substantial investment.
According to the publication’s information, following an inspection of the Soviet-era fighter jets, 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 issue is that these aircraft, currently stationed at the 22nd Tactical Air Base in Malbork, have not undergone modernization for years, as Poland is progressively 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 a particular concern. They expressed readiness to accept the Polish aircraft, but with a stipulation: 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 the factories in Bydgoszcz. They paid for these services from their own budget. This time, they wanted our government to pay for it,” states 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 the Ukrainian side offering nothing in return.
“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 negotiations, the Ukrainian side allegedly “played hardball, setting tough, difficult conditions.” Meanwhile, the Polish side failed to specify what exactly it expected in return.
“Drone technology is such a broad term that anything can be woven into it. The problem is that the Ministry of National Defence of Poland could not discuss specifics, so the Ukrainians refused to participate. It’s a festival of incompetence. Unfortunately, politics has interfered with the situation from both sides, causing a lot of damage,” says the publication’s source.
The publication’s interlocutor notes that relations between the two countries are currently so strained that even if Poland did not need certain equipment and it would be better to give it to Ukraine, it would not do so for free.
According to Polish military officials, although negotiations for the transfer of MiGs to Ukraine have stalled, the issue is not over. 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,” says a Polish Air Force military pilot.
The publication reminds that in 2023, Poland transferred 11 combat MiGs and three aircraft intended for use as spare parts to Ukraine. Slovakia, in turn, handed over ten of its fighter jets to Ukraine. Ukraine already had over 20 of its own aircraft. This means that the Ukrainian Air Force currently has less than three full squadrons of MiG-29 fighter jets.
Recall that Poland is decommissioning MiG-29 fighter jets that it had planned to transfer to Ukraine.
Poland stated that it was supposed to receive drone technologies from the Ukrainians in exchange for the aircraft. However, the deal – at least for now – has fallen through. The Polish 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 caused a heated 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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