-
Russian technicians appear to have sabotaged MiG-29 jets headed to Ukraine, Slovakia said.
-
The defects appeared only in parts the Russians worked on, the country’s defense minister said.
-
Slovakia offered its Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine late last month.
Russian technicians appear to have sabotaged MiG-29 fighter jets headed to Ukraine, Slovakia said.
The technicians, who were working on a Slovak air base until late 2022, had access to the jets and appear to have damaged some parts ahead of their delivery to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.
Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said the jets “were able to fly, but that doesn’t mean they were also capable of combat,” according to The Kyiv Independent.
Nad added that the defects in the jets “appeared only in those parts accessed by Russians.”
The technicians were hired on a long-term contract to handle major repairs of the Soviet-era jets, The Kyiv Independent said.
Nad added that Ukraine had the resources to fix the defects and get the jets fully operational.
“They have pilots, spare parts, and a company that has worked on MiGs since the Soviet times,” he said.
Weeks ago, Slovakia and Poland pledged to send Ukraine fleets of MiG-29 fighter jets. The two NATO members said the additional airpower would help Kyiv in the war Russia started over a year.
The Soviet-designed jets aren’t much different from Ukraine’s own MiG-29s, and some are useful for spare parts only, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian officials have pushed Western countries for more modern jets such as F-16s.
The Biden administration has repeatedly said the US isn’t planning to provide fighter jets.
Read the original article on Business Insider
[ad_2]
Source link
