Russian technicians could have deliberately damaged MiG-29 fighters that Slovakia handed over to Ukraine, - Minister of Defense Nagy
Russian technicians could intentionally damage the Soviet-made Slovakian MiG-29 fighters. Until last year, the Russians were present at the Slyach air base.
This was stated by the Minister of Defense of Slovakia, Jaroslav Nagy, Censor.NET informs with reference to Euractiv.
Recently, Slovakia decided to transfer to Ukraine the Soviet MiG-29 fighters, which were in service with the army since 1993. However, the Slovak military has not used them since August 2022.
They could fly, but that didn't mean they were capable of combat. The Ukrainians came to Slovakia a week before their departure, brought spare parts, and inspected the planes," Nagy explained after the opposition led by former Prime Minister Robert Fico's Smer-SD party sharply criticized the government for rejecting the fighter jets.
The Minister of Defense noted that malfunctions were found in the planes. Which, Nagy suggested, could have been deliberately caused by Russian technicians.
"Even the police conducted an investigation based on our suspicions. The plane's engines had parts to which Slovak specialists had access, and there were parts to which only Russian specialists had access. Defects appeared only in those parts to which the Russians had access," Nagy said.
Although the investigation did not prove intentional damage, the Ministry of Defense of Slovakia "felt a loss of trust in the Russian technicians in Sljach, because errors continued to appear in places that only they could reach," the minister added.
Lieutenant General Lubomyr Svoboda, a former top-ranking pilot, also suggested that the Russians had deliberately damaged the planes.
"We took an engine from them that was supposed to work for 350 hours. And as a result, only 70 hours flew. What conclusion can we draw from this? Maybe there was poor-quality work, let's say. I don't know," he said.
