RADOSLAW JOZWIAK v AFP
Within two days, Ukraine received delivery of 17 Soviet Mig-29 fighter jets. Slovakia and Poland will deliver the devices to Kiev (example photo taken in October 2022 during a NATO exercise over Poland).
WAR IN UKRAINE – “Prepare for the urgent. Here is the main idea behind Ukraine’s procurement of 17 MiG-29s recorded over the last few days. Because after Poland on Thursday, March 16, it was another NATO member, Slovakia, who announced on Friday, March 17, that they would deliver several of these Soviet-designed warplanes to Kiev.
However, since the start of the Russian invasion in late February 2022, Westerners have been reluctant to send fighter jets to (re)inflate Ukraine’s means of self-defense. Because everyone fears being viewed by Moscow as warring parties. Except that, like the French Caesar guns or the German Leopard tanks, this doctrine changes.
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#Slovak reg. just approved to send 13 #MiG29 to #Ukraine! Promises must be kept&if @ZelenskyyUa asked for more… https://t.co/p3WuusngxF
— Eduard Heger (@eduardheger)
“The Slovak government has just approved the shipment of 13 MiG-29s to Ukraine. Promises must be kept, and when Volodymyr Zelenskyi asked for more weapons, especially fighter jets, I assured them that we would do our best. I am pleased that others are doing what we are doing: providing military aid to Ukraine so that it can defend itself against Russia like the whole of Europe,” said Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger.
Thus, in the coming days, four Polish MiG-29s and 13 Slovaks will be delivered to the troops in Kiev. A device selection that is not trivial.
Obvious grip
In fact, the MiG-29 (or “Fulcrum” in the nomenclature used by Westerners) has many advantages for Ukrainians, in particular that it is already well known to local pilots. Since the beginning of the conflict, the Ukrainian army has used these MiGs, designed in the 1970s and commissioned by the USSR in the early 1980s, in defense against Russian aggression. The new aircraft can therefore take off immediately upon receipt.
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“It is a matter of consistency: to deal with the most urgent matters, to ensure the air defense of the territory with equipment that the Ukrainians already know,” a European air force officer summarized to AFP. It is an out-of-the-box solution that is faster than shipping western devices. In this case, the Slovak devices were taken out of service by the local army a few months ago; they are therefore available and ready for use. This would not be the case with devices that other Western countries could provide; indeed, it would be necessary to train Ukrainian pilots, which takes months, even for already experienced pilots.
In addition, by acquiring these aircraft, which it has mastered and which have been upgraded to high standards to meet NATO standards, the Ukrainian army will be able to replace aircraft destroyed in combat over the past year and offer an alternative to those who fly all the time.
“We need F-16s”
Nonetheless, the mere functioning of the pivot will limit the impact on the course of the conflict in Ukraine. Pierre Razoux, academic director of the Mediterranean Foundation for Strategic Studies, who is still with AFP, explains why: “He is a short-legged hunter with a limited range. If he’s heavily armed, he’d have to be stationed in central Ukraine to strike in Donbass, a fairly vulnerable environment. »
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It is clear that the MiG-29s donated by Poland and Slovakia will mainly be used in a defensive role, above major cities attacked by Kremlin forces. In particular, they were to be used to intercept Russian attacks near Kiev, Kherson, or Odessa to the east, which was relatively distant from the main front. This was stated in the first days of the conflict in March 2022 by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who stated at the time that “the gain from a MiG-29 transfer would be small”.
For the counterattack, on the other hand, other aircraft would be needed, fighter-bombers, above all the American F-16s, which the Ukrainian head of state continues to demand from his western allies. A possibility that the United States ruled out, although these devices, reiterated Kiev, would allow local support for the Ukrainian counter-offensive, especially in Donbass.
Because of this, the Ukrainian authorities reiterated their desire as soon as Poland announced the delivery of the MiG-29. “MiGs will not solve the problems, we need F-16s. But the MiGs will help strengthen our capabilities,” said Yuriy Ignat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force. And it was good to hear, as the Netherlands recently announced they are not ruling out the idea of delivering F-16s to Ukraine, while France could potentially deliver some of the 13 Mirage 2000s that have recently been withdrawn from service. Help, which would of course be welcome in the situation in Ukraine.
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