Russia Cannot Guarantee Safety of Bulgarian MiG-29s if Poland Upgrades Them

Bulgaria’s insistence on modernizing its Air Forces’ MiG-29 Fulcrum multirole jet fighters in Poland contradicts agreements reached between Sofia and Moscow in military-technical cooperation and Moscow cannot guarantee the aircraft’s safety if Poland takes on the task.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – “Sofia’s position is counterproductive and goes completely against the spirit and agreements between our countries in regard to military-technical cooperation, especially in regard to protecting intellectual rights. This obviously has a negative effect on our further relations in this area in the future,” Anatoly Punchuk, deputy director of Russia’s Federal Service on Military-Technical Cooperation, told RIA Novosti.

Punchuk’s statement was made in regard to the Bulgarian Parliament’s decision on November 4 to discuss a ratification that Poland would modernize the Bulgarian Air Forces’ MiG-29s.

He added that the MiG producers would no longer be able to guarantee the aircraft’s flight safety should Poland become involved.

The MiG’s general director, Sergei Korotkov, said earlier that the company has not transferred any sort of documentation or rights on the engines of planes produced for foreign buyers and that all documentation has been taken from Ukraine, which does not have the right to transfer this sort of intellectual rights.