Russia threatens to destroy Ukraine’s jets following Poland and Slovakia’s pledge

Russia has issued a warning that it will destroy any fighter jets provided to Ukraine by its allies, following pledges by Poland and Slovakia to provide Kyiv with MiG-29 aircraft.

The Slovakian fleet, which no longer uses the jets, was grounded last year, and Poland has pledged four MiG-29s to be sent in the coming days, with more expected to follow.

Call for more weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for more weapons, including modern US-made F-16 fighters, but long training times mean they are only seen as a long-term option. The Ukrainian military sees extra aircraft as important for its defence and potential counter-attacks, one year into Russia’s invasion.

Western countries are considering sending planes such as the MiG-29, a model dating from the time of the Soviet Union, which Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned the plans, stating that the aircraft would not affect the outcome of Moscow’s “special military operation”, as it calls the war, and would only “bring additional woes for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people”.

Subject to destruction

He added that “during the special military operation, all this equipment will be subject to destruction”. The pledges by Poland and Slovakia are a positive move for Ukraine, which has more pilots than planes, but they will not make a decisive difference.

Senior Ukrainian defence adviser Yuri Sak states that F-16 fighters have better capabilities and are what Ukraine really needs. However, it seems unlikely that Ukraine will receive them, at least for now, as it would take time to train Ukrainian pilots on Western jets.

Western military officers remain sceptical about modern fighters and are focusing on helping Ukraine win the battle on the ground.

The front lines are swamped with air defence systems on both sides, and the Russian air force is much bigger than Ukraine’s and has not been able to gain control of the skies. At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine was believed to have about 120 combat capable aircraft, mainly ageing MiG-29s and Su-27s.

It is not clear how many of the Slovakian planes are operational. Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger tweeted on Friday that his government had approved sending the country’s 13 MiG-29s to Ukraine, stating that “promises must be kept” and that he was glad others were answering President Zelensky’s call for more weapons.

Poland’s pledge of Leopard tanks and now MiG-29s has broken a barrier that no one was prepared to take a year ago.

The news of the pledges came amid reports by Russian media that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had decorated pilots involved in an incident earlier in the week, in which one of the Su-27 jets reportedly clipped a drone.

Washington has condemned the Russian actions as reckless, but Moscow states that the drone failed on its own. Russia has threatened to destroy any fighter jets provided to Ukraine by its allies, after Poland and Slovakia pledged MiG-29 aircraft. Ukraine has called for more weapons, including modern US-made F-16 fighters, which are seen as a long-term option due to training times.

Western military officers remain sceptical about modern fighters and are focusing on helping Ukraine win the battle on the ground. The front lines are swamped with air defence systems on both sides, and the Russian air force is much bigger than Ukraine’s and has not been able to gain control of the skies.

The pledges by Poland and Slovakia are a positive move for Ukraine, which has more pilots than planes, but they will not make a decisive difference.