With the arrival of F-16s and Mirage 2000-5s in Ukraine—now operating in greater numbers with the Ukrainian Air Force—it is easy to forget that earlier, Western allies such as Slovakia and Poland had delivered part of their Soviet-origin MiG-29 fighter fleets to Kyiv. However, through images that went viral during the past week, another country may also have completed the transfer of this type of aircraft: Azerbaijan, which has embarked on replacing its MiG-29s with the more modern JF-17 Thunder Block III purchased from Pakistan.
More than three years after the start of the large-scale invasion in late February 2022, and despite the incorporation of Western aircraft—such as F-16s transferred by the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark, and French Mirage 2000s—the Mikoyan MiG-29 continues to be one of the main workhorses of the Ukrainian Air Force.
According to multiple reports, the Soviet-era aircraft inherited by Ukraine remain in service across missions ranging from air cover, interception, and escort to the riskiest strike operations against ground targets and close air support. For these missions, much like other aircraft in service such as the Su-24, Su-25, and Su-27, the MiG-29s have been employed with various Western-supplied munitions, including AASM bombs with the HAMMER kit provided by France and U.S.-made Small Diameter Bombs (SDB).
Nevertheless, the MiG-29 fleet has suffered attrition and combat losses over three years of conflict, a situation mitigated by Ukraine’s maintenance and sustainment capabilities as well as by the transfer of aircraft—both airworthy and those intended for cannibalization as spare parts donors—supplied by Western allies.
According to estimates, Poland and Slovakia together have delivered 28 fighters directly to Kyiv from their air forces, actions that simultaneously allowed them to advance the modernization of their combat fleets: Poland with the new F-35s and Slovakia with the acquisition of F-16 Block 70s, in both cases procured from Lockheed Martin.
Now, based on recent images, Azerbaijan could be added to that list. In recent days, a MiG-29 in service with the Ukrainian Air Force was spotted carrying the distinctive paint scheme previously used by the Azerbaijani Air Force.
The image, circulating on social media for several days, shows a single-seat MiG-29 with Ukrainian markings but an unusual camouflage pattern, armed with short-range R-73 and medium-range R-27 air-to-air missiles. While the photo sparked speculation, there are no indications of manipulation—supporting the theory that this could be one of the aircraft Azerbaijan sent to Ukraine for upgrades at the state-owned Lviv Aircraft Repair Plant. At the time of the invasion, the plant was reportedly working on three Azerbaijani aircraft, which became priority targets for Russian strikes aimed at crippling Ukraine’s wartime support capacity in the early stages of the conflict.
Although no official announcement has been made, Azerbaijan and Ukraine maintain multiple cooperation ties, as demonstrated by the agreements signed since both nations’ independence, sharing a common past as former Soviet republics. This has led Baku to carry out targeted transfers of weapons and equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, albeit unofficially, considering the delicate balance of power in the Caucasus, where Russia and Armenia remain key players—the latter having recently fought a war with Azerbaijan before reaching a peace agreement brokered by the United States.
For the Azerbaijani Air Force, the transfer of these MiG-29s does not represent a significant capability gap, as the aircraft have been in service for decades, and the force is recognized as a pioneer in the operational use of unmanned aerial vehicles, which played a decisive role during the recent Nagorno-Karabakh war. Nevertheless, as officially confirmed, the MiG-29 fleet will soon be replaced by the new JF-17 Thunder Block III fighters, of which Azerbaijan has confirmed the purchase of 40 units from Pakistan and intends to arm with various Turkish-made weapons.
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