Poland to decommission MiG-29s it had planned to transfer to Ukraine

The MiG-29 fighter jets that Poland declined to transfer after a deal with Ukraine over an exchange for drone technologies fell through will be gradually taken out of service.

This was reported by the press service of the Polish Ministry of Defense to the portal Wirtualna Polska.

“As they reach their target service life and there are no prospects for their further modernization in the Polish Armed Forces, they will be gradually decommissioned,” the ministry’s statement reads.

The Defense Ministry declined to specify exact timelines for the decommissioning of the fighters.

According to the portal, the aircraft are currently based at the 22nd Tactical Air Base in Królewo Malborskie. The military department assured that the base will continue to operate, servicing helicopters and aircraft, including those of allied nations.

The story of the possible transfer of MiG-29s to Ukraine began in December 2025, when the Polish Army General Staff announced negotiations with Kyiv. It was proposed that Warsaw would transfer between six and eight fighters to the Ukrainian side in exchange for drone and missile technologies. Deputy Minister of National Defense Cezary Tomczyk explained at the time that the aircraft were nearing the end of their service life and could not be extended, and that of the options — decommissioning, sending to a museum, or supplying to Ukraine — Warsaw had chosen the latter.

However, on June 30, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz told Polsat News that Ukraine had withdrawn from the exchange agreement.

“There are no MiGs for Ukraine, because Poland has no drones or the capability to use them,” he stated.