The United States bought more than 80 aircraft from Kazakhstan – media

The United States bought through offshore intermediaries at an auction 81 of 117 aircraft sold by the Kazakh government in October 2023. Kyivpost reported this yesterday.

It is indicated that in recent years Kazakhstan has been gradually replacing its outdated fleet of Soviet-made aircraft with more modern versions.

That’s why the Kazakh government put 117 Soviet-era aircraft up for auction in October.

The US allegedly bought 81 MiG-27, MiG-29 and Su-24 aircraft, manufactured in the 1970s and 1980s for 1 billion tenge (about $1.5 million).

These aircraft were noted to be in an unusable condition and their modernization was considered economically unviable, and they were little used as a source of spare parts.

“The reason for the purchase has not been announced, but speculation has grown that since all types of aircraft are in Ukrainian service, they will likely be transferred to Kyiv. It is assumed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will dismantle them for spare parts or even use decommissioned airframes as airfield bait,” the publication wrote.

In this regard, a Kazakh state-owned enterprise engaged in the import and export of weapons and military equipment denied the report about the sale of decommissioned military aircraft for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

It is said that the auction for the sale of the aircraft with the condition of mandatory liquidation was held “in strict accordance with the requirements of the current law” in legal entities of Kazakhstan with appropriate licenses.

“Foreign companies are not allowed to trade,” Kazspecexport said in a statement.

According to the message, according to the agreements, all aircraft, parts and assemblies for them will be disposed of “on the territory of the balance holders using methods that do not include restoration to their original condition.” They will be exported “only in the form of scrap non-ferrous metals.”

Earlier, Kazakh President Kasim-Jomart Tokayev said his country would comply with all Western sanctions against Russia. At the same time, he spoke in favor of the earliest possible start of peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to find an acceptable resolution to the “conflict.”