News Feed

Slovak defense minister: Russian technicians possibly sabotaged Ukraine-bound MiGs

1 min read
Slovak defense minister: Russian technicians possibly sabotaged Ukraine-bound MiGs
Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad gives a press conference on Dec. 19, in Bratislava, Slovakia. (Photo by Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Russian technicians, who were present at the Slovak air base in Sliač until last year, may have deliberately damaged Slovak MiG-29 jet fighters that Bratislava recently supplied to Ukraine.

“They were able to fly, but that doesn’t mean they were also capable of combat,” Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said after opposition leader Robert Fico criticized the transfer of the jets.

"The defects appeared only in those parts accessed by Russians,” Nad said.

Naď showed confidence, however, that the Ukrainian side will be able to make the aircraft fully operational.

“They have pilots, spare parts, and a company that has worked on MiGs since the Soviet times,” the minister told Denník N.

While the police investigation could not definitely prove intent on the side of the technicians, defects were found only in the aircraft parts accessed by the Russians.

The Russian experts were present in the country based on a long-term contract between Bratislava and Moscow. According to the Slovak Air Force General Ľubomír Svoboda, their presence was necessary for serious repairs, as they possessed greater know-how of MiGs than Slovak personnel.

This allowed the Slovak side to conduct high-level repairs at home rather than sending the jets to Russia.

However, Svoboda showed suspicions about their intent in an interview with Denník N: “They gave us an engine that was meant to work for 350 hours. It lasted only 70 hours.”

This is not the first time Slovakia had issues with Russian military hardware. The Slovak military was forced to ground its Mi-17 helicopters in 2018 due to “falsified repair documentation.”

Slovakia handed over all of its MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine on March 23.

Avatar
The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

Read more
News Feed

"It is legitimate and lawful for China to conduct normal economic, trade and energy cooperation with all countries around the world, including Russia," China's Foreign Ministry said in response to question about Russian oil purchases posed by Bloomberg. "We will continue to adopt reasonable energy security measures in accordance with our national interests."

"The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska," Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that "further details will follow."

Show More