Why The U.S. Has Purchased ‘Outdated’ Russian Aircrafts From Russia’s Key Ally Kazakhstan?

In a recent news, US purchased Russian combat aircrafts that are outdated from Russia’s key ally Kazakhstan. khazakstan put MiG-31 interceptors, MiG-27 bombers, Mig-29 fighters and Su-24 bombers on auction in last year October and the U.S. bought it all.

The declared sale value is $2.26 million.

But the combat aircrafts are from 1970s and 1980s, also it is highlighted that the state the aircrafts are in are unusable and their modernisation is economically unviable. That’s why this raises questions on why the US would want to buy an unusable aircraft.

Why U.S. has bought ‘unusable’ Russian aircrafts?

According to multiple reports, the U.S. is planning to deploy the aircrafts in the Russia-Ukraine war, from the Ukraine’s side. It is believed that the armed forces of Ukraine will disassemble the aircraft for spare parts, despite limited utility or use them as decoys at airfields.

The past exchange of Soviet military gear from Western nations to help Ukraine’s weaponry loans solidarity to this contention. The deal likewise shows that Kazakhstan is supporting its binds with Western nations by endeavoring to lessen its authentic vital and military connections with Moscow following the attack of Ukraine. This was alluded to when government officials from nations considered hostile to Russia visited Astana.

This week, the UK Unfamiliar Pastor, David Cameron, visited Astana and closed settlements on exchange, instruction, climate, and mineral supplies. Cameron referenced that Kazakhstan is encircled by troublesome neighbors – Russia, China, Afghanistan, and Iran and offered London’s help to manage issues that emerge in this troublesome area, as per Kyiv Post. Before that, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kazakhstan in February 2023, where he said that the US unequivocally upheld “its freedom, its regional trustworthiness.”

In any case, Kazakhstan’s state-possessed weapons shipper and exporter, denied offering military planes to Ukraine in an explanation, saying that unfamiliar organizations were not permitted to offer. In the mean time, there has been no authority word from the Pentagon on the offer of the Soviet-period warplanes, which assumed a basic part in the Nationwide conflict. The MiG-27 was fundamental in clashes like the Soviet-Afghan conflict and the Su-24 remaining parts in assistance with a few flying corps.

Ukraine has sidelined US-gave Abrams M1A1 fight tanks to now in its battle against Russia, to a limited extent since Russian robot fighting has made it excessively hard for them to work without identification or going under assault, as per two US military authorities. Five of the 31 tanks have proactively been lost to Russian assaults.

One thing is clear, the acquisition highlights the ongoing geopolitical shifts in the central Asian region and also underscores how Kazakhstan is maintaining a delicate balance between its historical ties.