Slovakia’s defense minister, Jaro Nad, informed that the first four MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters jets donated by his country have already been transferred to Ukrainian hands.

First 4 Slovak #MiG29s handed over to #Ukraine. May they save many #lives and help Ukraine defend its land and infrastructure against Putin's aggression! Our support will continue as long as needed. @oleksiireznikov @Slovakia_NATO @DefenceU @NATO @ZelenskyyUa #WeAreNATO pic.twitter.com/IvPb2jJ247

— Jaro Nad (@JaroNad) March 23, 2023

On March 17, Slovakia and Ukraine signed an agreement for the transfer of 13 MiG-29 Fulcrums, as well as SA-6 (Gainful, in NATO code) anti-aircraft missile systems, in order to reinforce Kiev’s air defense capabilities.

These four combat aircraft will immediately be operated by the Ukrainian Air Force, in addition to the four MiG-29s that will soon be transferred by Poland, which also decided to cede some twenty units.

In exchange for the MiG-29s ceded to Ukraine, Washington and Bratislava agreed to purchase a dozen AH-1Z viper combat helicopters and 500 Hellfire anti-tank missiles at a very significant discount.

The air defense functions performed by the Slovak MiG-29s until their decommissioning (due to lack of spare parts to keep them in flight), will be covered by Polish and Czech combat aircraft, under a tripartite military assistance agreement, designed to allow Bratislava to cede to Ukraine its fleet of Fulcrum fighters and await calmly the arrival of its future F-16 Block 70s.