The Defense Minister of Slovakia Jaroslav Nad stated that Russian technicians may have deliberately sabotaged the work of Soviet-made MiG-29 fighters that were to be sent to Ukraine.
Euractive writes about it.
“They could fly, but that didnʼt mean they were fit for battle. The Ukrainians came to Slovakia a week before the departure, brought spare parts and inspected the planes," Nad explained.
In his opinion, Russian technicians could intentionally cause malfunctions. Until last year, they worked at the Sliach Air Base in Slovakia.
"Even the police investigated it based on our suspicions. The planeʼs engines had parts to which Slovak technicians had access, as well as parts to which only Russian technicians had access. Defects appeared only in those parts to which the Russians had access," Nad noted.
Although the investigation did not prove this, according to Nad, the Ministry of Defense "felt a loss of confidence in the Russian technicians at Slyach, as malfunctions continued to appear wherever they could reach."
Lieutenant General Liubomyr Svoboda also suggested that the Russians deliberately damaged the planes.
The Russian embassy in the country said that the supply of Slovak fighter jets to Ukraine led to "an unpredictable and dangerous escalation of the conflict, for which the initiators of the decisions taken will be responsible."
- On March 16, 2023, it became known that Poland and Slovakia agreed to create a coalition of countries to transfer combat aircraft to Ukraine. The countries agreed to transfer MiG-29 fighters to Kyiv, which are in service with the Ukrainian Air Force.
- On March 23, Slovakia already handed over the first four MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine. Other aircraft will be handed over in the coming weeks. For security reasons, these deliveries will not be announced. The media, however, wrote that Slovakia would transfer 13 MiG-29s.