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The US purchased 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Kazakhstan, the Kyiv Post reports.
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Kazakhstan, a historic ally of Russia, is becoming more involved with Western nations.
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The planes could be used as spare parts or as decoys in conflict regions, the Post said.
The US acquired 81 obsolete Soviet-era fighter planes from Kazakhstan, the Kyiv Post reported.
Kazakhstan, which is modernizing its air fleet, auctioned 117 Soviet-era fighters and bombers, including MiG-31 interceptors, MiG-27 fighter-bombers, MiG-29 fighters and Su-24 bombers from the 1970s and 1980s.
The declared sales value was one billion Kazakh tenge, the Post said, or $2.26 million, which equates to an average value of $19,300 for each plane.
The US purchased 81 old and unusable warplanes, Ukrainian Telegram channel Insider UA said, according to the Post.
The reason for the U.S. purchase remains unknown, the Post said, but it raised the possibility of its use in Ukraine, where similar aircraft are in service.
The sale was made through offshore companies, he said Reporter, a news site in Russian and English.
Given Ukraine’s continuation dependence on Soviet-era weaponsthe aircraft could serve as a source of spare parts or be strategically deployed as decoys at airfields, the Post said.
The Mikoyan MiG-31 was a supersonic interceptor designed to defend Soviet airspace, according to Air Force Technology. He played a critical role during the Cold War.
Derived from the MiG-23, the MiG-27 it was a ground attack aircraft and saw action in conflicts such as the Soviet-Afghan War. The MiG-29 excelled in air-to-air combat. It was widely exported and remains in service with some air forces.
Despite his age, the Su-24 – an all-weather tactical bomber – remains in service with several air forces, including the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Ukrainian Air Force.
Kazakhstan, formerly part of the Soviet Union, has maintained close ties with Russia and has historically been one of its strongest allies. But the relationship has changed since Russia invaded Ukraine, with Kazakhstan aligning itself more with the West, provoking fury among some in Russia.
The Central Asian country’s efforts to improve its military capabilities coincide with its growing engagement with Western nations, signaling a move away from historic ties with Moscow, according to Kyiv Post analysis.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kazakhstan in March 2023, where he said the US strongly supports “its independence, its territorial integrity,” according to the AFP news agency.
Some of Russia’s outspoken propagandists have suggested that Russia should look to Kazakhstan after the invasion of Ukraine.
A Russian TV commentator, Vladimir Solovyov, he said that his country “must pay attention to the fact that Kazakhstan is the next problem because the same Nazi processes can start there as in Ukraine”.
Agreements on trade, education, environment and mineral supplies reflect deepening ties between Kazakhstan and Western nations as it faces geopolitical challenges posed by neighboring countries such as Russia, China, Afghanistan and Iran.
Correction: April 28, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated the currency conversion rate of the Kazakh tenge to the dollar. One billion tenge is worth $2.26 million, not $1.5 million.
Read the original article at Business Insider
