Russia accuses Slovakia of breaking a treaty signed in 1997 after sending Soviet MiG-29 jets to Ukraine

MOSCOW, 24 March. (DPA/EP) –

Russia has accused Slovakia on Friday of breaking a treaty signed in 1997 that indicates that they cannot send Soviet planes to another state without the consent of Moscow after Bratislava delivered MiG-29 planes to Ukraine.

The Russian authorities have specified that the supply of these planes to kyiv is a “hostile act”, as well as a violation of Bratislava’s international obligations. The Russian Foreign Ministry has also published the aforementioned treaty on its website.

The Government of Slovakia, a NATO member country, confirmed last week that it would join the gesture previously announced by Poland and would give Ukraine 13 Soviet-made aircraft. The first batch, with four aircraft, has already been delivered, with the direct involvement of Ukrainian pilots.

The Slovak Ministry of Defense has promised that the rest of the planes, at least nine, will arrive in Ukraine “in the coming weeks”, although it has not gone into further details for operational reasons. In this sense, he has pointed out that he will inform once the “safe” delivery has been made, as has happened with the first shipment.

Most of the aircraft were supplied by the Soviet Union to Czechoslovakia in the late 1980s. After its breakup, the Czech Republic and Slovakia shared the aircraft fleet.