Slovakia’s transfer of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in 2023 was not a criminal offense, the Bratislava prosecutor’s office said Nov. 10.
The previous Slovak government, led by then Prime Minister Eduard Heger, donated the country’s entire fleet of Soviet-era [MiG-29 jets](https://kyivindependent.com/slovak-defense-ministry-confirms-transfer-of-13/) and two air defense systems to Ukraine in the spring of 2023. The move made Slovakia the first country to send warplanes to Kyiv after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.Prime Minister Robert Fico — widely seen as sympathetic to Moscow — has long criticized Western military aid to Ukraine and the defense assistance provided by the previous Slovak government. Last June, his administration filed a criminal complaint against Heger and former Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad over the jet transfer.
The Defense Ministry accused the two of sabotage, abuse of power, and mismanagement of public property — allegations both Heger and Nad have denied. Current Defense Minister Robert Kalinak also accused his predecessor of “treason.”
A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office told POLITICO that the investigation was halted Oct. 30 because “it was sufficiently established that the act in question does not constitute a criminal offense and there is no reason to refer the case further.”
The inquiry determined that the donation of military equipment to Ukraine caused no harm to Slovakia as defined in the country’s criminal code.
“Nor was it proven that members of the government acted with the intent to obtain an unlawful benefit for themselves or others, or that they exercised their authority in a manner contrary to the law or exceeded their powers,” the spokesperson said.
Nad welcomed the decision in a Facebook post, writing that the Heger government “acted not only morally correctly but also in the national interest of the Slovak Republic and fully in accordance with applicable laws and the constitution.”
He added that he expects a public apology from Fico’s government.
From The Kyiv Independent - News from Ukraine, Eastern Europe via this RSS feed