Slovakia receives first F-16s to replace MiG-29s donated to Ukraine

Two new F-16 fighter jets arrived in Slovakia on July 22, the first of 14 that will replace Soviet-era aircraft donated to Ukraine.

Slovakia has given Ukraine 13 MiG-29 fighter jets since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion as they were "unusable" for the country's defense needs but would still be effective for Kyiv's pilots.

Another 12 F-16s will be in the country by the end of the year, Lockheed Martin, the company that manufactures the jets said in a press release.

Slovakia signed the contract for the 14 planes in 2018 but delivery was delayed by the COVID pandemic.

Slovakia's stance on Ukraine has dramatically shifted since with the 2023 parliament election, and the appointment of Prime Minister Robert Fico's new government, which announced it would no longer send arms to Ukraine from its own military stocks, though it does still allow commercial arms sales.

In a stark sign of the shift, last month Slovakia's defense minister accused his predecessor of "treason" for sending the fighter jets to Ukraine, and announced he had filed a criminal complaint regarding the matter.

‘It really is insane:’ Ex-defense minister on Slovakia’s pro-Russian turn

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, neighboring Slovakia, with its own experience of decades of Russian occupation in the 20th century, became one of the staunchest supporters of Ukraine. Under the guidan…

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

"Weakening the armed forces in this way, contrary to the constitution, cannot be described in our political dictionary as anything other than treason," Robert Kalinak said in comments reported by the Czech news outlet iROZHLAS.

"I don't know if it legally constitutes a crime, but he is a person who betrayed national values."

Kalinak was taking aim at his predecessor, Jaroslav Nad.

Nad responded to Kalinak's accusation on June 12, saying that all legal considerations had been taken into account before the signing of the deal to hand over the fighter jets.

"Based on that, the government made a decision as a collective body and approved the signing of an international agreement, which it had the right to do," he said.

He added that another similar criminal report regarding the MiG-29 transfer had been "swept off the table."

While the Slovak government has made its disdain for support for Ukraine clear, some of the country's people took matters into their own hands and launched a fundraising drive to purchase artillery shells for Kyiv.

Slovak citizens started their campaign "Ammunition for Ukraine" on April 16 to raise additional funds for the Czech-led initiative to procure shells around the world after the Slovak government refused to participate.

Within less than a month, over 65,000 people donated 4 million euros ($4.3 million), with one donor giving a single donation of 100,000 euros ($107,000).

F-16s are on their way to Ukraine – here’s how they can help fight Russia

After a long wait, F-16 fighter jets are finally on their way to Ukraine. “Those jets will be flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself against Russian aggression,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on July

The Kyiv IndependentChris York