Russia: Fighter planes sent to Ukraine will be destroyed, not impact war

Russia said on Friday that all fighter jets supplied to Ukraine by Western nations would be destroyed after NATO members Poland and Slovakia pledged to send MiG-29 jets to Kyiv.

Since Russia’s invasion last year NATO countries have sent billions of dollars of military aid to Ukraine, as Kyiv asks for weapons it says are vital to fend off Russian advances.

Moscow has accused the West of directly participating in the conflict through supplying weapons to Ukraine, and has warned before that NATO weapons were legitimate targets for its forces.

“It feels like all of these countries are thus engaged in the disposal of old unnecessary equipment.”

Dmitry Peskov

“In the course of the special military operation all this equipment will be subject to destruction,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“It feels like all of these countries are thus engaged in the disposal of old unnecessary equipment,” he said.

Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets fly near the Malacky Air Base, near Malacky, Slovakia, August 27, 2022. (credit: DAVID W CERNY/REUTERS)

Slovakia ordered F-16 fighter jets from the United States in 2018 to replace its aging MiG-29 planes. Its fleet of 11 MiG-29s was retired last summer.