Bulgaria has declared its readiness to offer its fleet of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, consisting of a squadron of 16 aircraft, according to one of the secret US documents leaked on the Internet in recent days, EFE and Novinite agencies reported on Monday. to Agerpres.
However, according to a February 23 Pentagon document, such action is “difficult” because it would leave Bulgaria without fighter jets, at least until the arrival of the F-16s ordered by the US, but whose delivery is delayed. However, another Eastern European country that will also buy F-16s, Slovakia, has already transferred its entire fleet of 13 Soviet MiG-29s to Ukraine, leaving it currently without a fighter.
- Another European country announced the delivery of MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine
Currently, Bulgaria has 16 MiG-29 aircraft, of which only six are combat-capable, and 14 SU-25 attack aircraft, of which six are also combat-capable. Following European sanctions imposed on Russia after the start of the invasion of Ukraine, Bulgaria ceased cooperation with Russia regarding the maintenance of MiG-29 aircraft. The government in Sofia is currently looking for technical solutions to be able to keep these devices in operation, otherwise the MiG-29 aircraft that are still in service will no longer be able to be used after this year.
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and Bulgarian socialists, traditionally closer to Russia, blocked military aid to the Ukrainian army requested by pro-American former Prime Minister Kyril Petkov, but Bulgaria still secretly sent weapons, ammunition and fuel to Ukraine through intermediaries, as he himself admitted Petkov. later, after he was fired on a motion of no confidence.
Bulgaria is currently under a caretaker government, and on April 2 another round of early legislative elections — the fifth legislative elections in the past two years — was held, in which parliament again fell short of a clear majority.
President Radev, who was a fighter pilot, recently stated that “while the interim government is in place, Bulgaria will not provide MiG-29 aircraft, anti-aircraft missile systems, tanks and armored vehicles to Ukraine.”
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Source: Hot News
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