Slovak Prosecutor General Maroš Žilinka has ordered a new investigation into the donation of MiG-29 fighters and KUB air defense systems to Ukraine by the previous government in 2023. The decision resumes criminal proceedings that were terminated earlier this year.
Žilinka explained that the previous investigation was ended prematurely. “In the framework of the preliminary proceedings, the facts were not established to a sufficient extent necessary for making a decision“, the prosecutor general said in a Facebook post.
The dispute over the state of the art
The previous proceedings were terminated by Bratislava prosecutor Rastislav Remeta. At the end of the meeting, he said that the dozen Soviet MiG-29 fighters were obsolete, not fully functional, and had no pilots or missiles.
According to Remeta, the donation of the aircraft and KUB systems did not constitute a crime. Former Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad, who headed the department when the equipment was provided, denies any wrongdoing.
The Political Conflict
The donation is one of the main reasons for criticism from the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico, which follows a more pro-Russian foreign policy and has suspended military aid to Ukraine. The rulers in Bratislava have repeatedly attacked the previous government's decision.
Fico has stated that the donation of the equipment has made Slovakia dependent on air patrols from allied countries. A senior representative of his party described the decision as sabotage.
With the new order of the Prosecutor General, the criminal proceedings will be resumed in order to further clarify the facts surrounding the preparation and implementation of the donation. The decision puts the case back at the center of the dispute between Fico's government and his political predecessors over military support for Ukraine.
Sources: bta.bg, kfgo.com