Poland has received a request from an unnamed NATO member regarding MiG-29 fighter aircraft that Warsaw plans to transfer to Ukraine, raising speculation that the inquiry may have come from Bulgaria.
The information was disclosed by Polish Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski in an interview with Radio ZET. While he declined to identify the country that made the request, he stressed that Poland's priority remains delivering the aircraft to Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian military publication Militarnyi, available indications suggest the request most likely came from Bulgaria.
At present, Poland and Bulgaria are the only NATO members still operating MiG-29 fighters. Bulgaria is gradually replacing its Soviet-made fleet with new F-16 Block 70 aircraft, but only the first batch has been delivered so far. The remaining aircraft are expected to arrive by 2027.
Sofia has repeatedly said it is not yet in a position to transfer its MiG-29s to Ukraine because doing so would significantly reduce the operational capabilities of the Bulgarian Air Force. According to available information, Bulgaria has 16 MiG-29 fighters, but only six are currently airworthy. European Union sanctions against Russia have also cut off access to Russian spare parts, making maintenance increasingly difficult.
