Why Ukraine no longer interested in Poland’s MiG-29 jets

Ukraine is no longer seeking to receive MiG-29 fighter jets from Poland after disagreements emerged over the cost of repairing and modernising the aircraft, according to a report by Russia’s RIA Novosti, which cited an unnamed source.

The source claimed that Ukrainian military officials had reviewed the condition of the remaining MiG-29 aircraft operated by the Polish Air Force and concluded that the jets would require significant and costly repairs before they could be used in combat.

“Ukrainian military personnel even travelled to Poland specifically to inspect the aircraft in question. The conclusion was that the planes require expensive repairs and modernisation,” the source said.

According to the report, Kyiv considers the aircraft of limited value in their current state without further upgrades and is therefore not interested in receiving them without the necessary refurbishment.

The source said the disagreement over the potential transfer centred on who would finance the work required to restore the jets to combat readiness. Ukraine reportedly does not want to, or is unable to, cover the costs, while Poland is also unwilling to fund the expensive repairs.

By Aghakazim Guliyev