Poland's MiG‑29 planes: A crucial debate for Ukraine aid

Several hours after the Polish president's announcement that there is currently no possibility for Poland to transfer the remaining MiG-29 planes to Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the issue.

During a meeting with local authorities in Zakarpattia, the President of Ukraine stated that the transfer of the MiG-29s had been agreed upon with Polish authorities. The condition for delivering the planes was to be Poland’s support by a NATO mission similar to the Baltic Air Policing program, under which NATO protects the airspace of the Baltic states.

According to Zelensky, NATO was supposed to declare additional support for Poland, which still has not transferred the planes. There is also no intention to intercept Russian missiles over Ukrainian territory, a measure Kyiv has long supported.

In the context of Zelensky's statements about NATO support for Poland, it is worth noting that the Minister of National Defense recently mentioned unspecified air assistance from "Scandinavian friends."

Before the outbreak of war in Ukraine, in 2020, 28 out of the 44 MiG-29 fighter jets acquired by Poland were considered operational. Maj. Gen. Jacek Pszczoła, the Inspector of the Air Force, stated at the time that Poland had a stock of parts for up to four more years of operation of the MiGs.

After the Russian attack, Poland handed over an undisclosed number of these aircraft to Ukraine. Currently, there are probably 14 MiG-29s remaining in the Polish Air Force, and Ukraine is lobbying for their transfer.

The operational life of the Polish planes is gradually nearing its end, and the lack of access to spare parts signifies that the era of the MiGs in Polish military aviation is coming to a close. These aircraft will be replaced by 32 FA-50 planes purchased from Korea in the final variant FA-50PL. The withdrawn MiGs will most likely be transferred to Ukraine in due course.