Poland plans to transfer its retired MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in exchange for Ukrainian drone and missile technology.

According to China Youth Daily on December 12, Poland—a NATO member bordering Ukraine and a major military power in Eastern Europe—is preparing to hand over more of its stockpiled weapons to Ukraine, including the urgently needed MiG-29 fighter aircraft. This move will mark the Polish Air Force’s complete farewell to these “Cold War relics.”

On December 10 (local time), the Polish General Staff announced via the social media platform X that negotiations are underway to transfer the final batch of MiG-29s to Ukraine, in return for Ukrainian drone and missile technologies.

The Polish Air Force currently retains 14 MiG-29s, comprising 11 single-seat and 3 twin-seat variants. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Poland has become the first country to supply fighter jets to Ukraine, having already transferred 14 MiG-29s. These aircraft were upgraded with NATO technical assistance, enabling them to launch AGM-88 anti-radiation missiles and glide-guided bombs for ground-attack missions.

Prior to the conflict, the MiG-29 was one of the mainstays of the Ukrainian Air Force, with over 40 units in service. Most were lost during the fighting, and MiG-29s provided by NATO countries have allowed Ukraine to maintain a limited air combat capability, operating alongside a small number of Su-27 fighters.

Notably, on December 9, the Russian Defense Ministry reported in its daily briefing on the “special military operation” in Ukraine that Russian forces had shot down a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jet. Separately, Ukraine’s Kyiv Independent reported that the Ukrainian Air Force stated on December 8 that one of its Su-27s crashed during a mission that day, resulting in the pilot’s death. The incident is under investigation.

During the conflict, Ukraine has independently developed various types of long-range loitering munition drones and possesses short-range ballistic missile and long-range cruise missile technologies. On December 9, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed for the first time that Ukrainian armed forces had begun using domestically produced “Petryel” ballistic missiles in combat operations—marking Ukraine’s formal entry into the small group of nations capable of independently producing and deploying ballistic weapons. Previously, Ukraine unveiled the “Flamingo” cruise missile with a range of up to 3,000 kilometers.

On December 11, Russian officials stated that Ukraine launched an aerial strike against Russia, with nearly 300 Ukrainian drones intercepted and shot down by Russian air defenses overnight—the largest-scale Ukrainian drone attack on Russia since the start of the conflict. The assault temporarily shut down airports in Moscow. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that out of 287 drones destroyed, 32 were heading toward Moscow.

Poland plans to transfer its retired MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in exchange for Ukrainian drone and missile technology.

According to China Youth Daily on December 12, Poland—a NATO member bordering Ukraine and a major military power in Eastern Europe—is preparing to hand over more of its stockpiled weapons to Ukraine, including the urgently needed MiG-29 fighter aircraft. This move will mark the Polish Air Force’s complete farewell to these “Cold War relics.”

On December 10 (local time), the Polish General Staff announced via the social media platform X that negotiations are underway to transfer the final batch of MiG-29s to Ukraine, in return for Ukrainian drone and missile technologies.

The Polish Air Force currently retains 14 MiG-29s, comprising 11 single-seat and 3 twin-seat variants. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Poland has become the first country to supply fighter jets to Ukraine, having already transferred 14 MiG-29s. These aircraft were upgraded with NATO technical assistance, enabling them to launch AGM-88 anti-radiation missiles and glide-guided bombs for ground-attack missions.

Prior to the conflict, the MiG-29 was one of the mainstays of the Ukrainian Air Force, with over 40 units in service. Most were lost during the fighting, and MiG-29s provided by NATO countries have allowed Ukraine to maintain a limited air combat capability, operating alongside a small number of Su-27 fighters.

Notably, on December 9, the Russian Defense Ministry reported in its daily briefing on the “special military operation” in Ukraine that Russian forces had shot down a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jet. Separately, Ukraine’s Kyiv Independent reported that the Ukrainian Air Force stated on December 8 that one of its Su-27s crashed during a mission that day, resulting in the pilot’s death. The incident is under investigation.

During the conflict, Ukraine has independently developed various types of long-range loitering munition drones and possesses short-range ballistic missile and long-range cruise missile technologies. On December 9, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed for the first time that Ukrainian armed forces had begun using domestically produced “Petryel” ballistic missiles in combat operations—marking Ukraine’s formal entry into the small group of nations capable of independently producing and deploying ballistic weapons. Previously, Ukraine unveiled the “Flamingo” cruise missile with a range of up to 3,000 kilometers.

On December 11, Russian officials stated that Ukraine launched an aerial strike against Russia, with nearly 300 Ukrainian drones intercepted and shot down by Russian air defenses overnight—the largest-scale Ukrainian drone attack on Russia since the start of the conflict. The assault temporarily shut down airports in Moscow. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that out of 287 drones destroyed, 32 were heading toward Moscow.