Originally Posted by
magyar_flyer
SWBKCB indeed, but latter I was told that the Ukrainian aircrew mentioned are actually civilian (from SkyUp Airlines).
If those Migs where operated by Ukrainians if would be certainly newsworthy in this day.
You will find that Ukrainians predominate nowadays in aviation support positions in this corner of Africa, and some adjacent areas of the Middle East. The Mig-29 is a onetime Soviet product, was the cornerstone of both Russian and Ukraine forces for a long period, and the skills are there at all levels in retired military, whether involved in civilian or military operations. Actually a mixture of Ukrainians, ethnic Russians from their substantial Ukraine diaspora, and Russians themselves, which few from outside are able to distinguish the difference between as they all speak Russian to each other. Comparable of course to the nowadays many Soviet-era, Ukraine-registered ad-hoc freighters operated across Europe, and indeed worldwide.
Used to be that ex-military white South Africans predominated in this aviation work across Africa, but times move on.