In 2015, the NSPA (NATO Support and Procurement Agency) announced a public tender for the overhaul of Afghan Mi-17V-5 helicopters, 63 airframes of which were purchased in RUSSIA in 2011. In 2016, the Slovak company LOTN (TRENČÍN aviation repair plant) became the winner of the tender. Due to the sanctions, only NATO member states could participate in the tender, while entities from the Russian Federation could not. In 2018, the overhaul of the first Mi-17V-5 helicopter was completed in LOTN. At that time, the “Vertoloty Rossii” holding (Russian Helicopters) declared that it was not responsible for further safe operation of helicopters by the Ministry of Defence of Afghanistan as a result of LOTN's uncertified service. The Russian holding further stated that the Slovak company did not adopt the procedures necessary for repairs of this type of helicopter and the repair was carried out according to the Slovak repair documentation, prepared without the participation and approval of the manufacturer. They also added that non-genuine parts were used and the LOTN was not supplied by original spare parts from the manufacturer.
This incident became public after the release of the information on 28th February 2019 on the official LOTN website, about readiness to hand over another Mi-17V-5 helicopter to the Afghan Air Force, which underwent general overhaul at LOTN. In response to this report, the “Vertoloty Rossii” holding issued above mentioned statement. CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of LOTN, Martin DUSANIC, said that: “Despite the existence of sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation, but fully in compliance with all applicable international and national regulations, we at LOTN continue to work on Mi-17´s helicopter overhaul, which is highly regarded by the end user. This yet another overhauled helicopter is result of our company's highly professional activity”. Representatives of the Russian holding also said they had repeatedly tried to reach an agreement with LOTN management on the Afghan Mi-17V-5´s helicopters overhaul. The “Vertoloty Rossii” press department announced that "unfortunately, no agreement between the parties has been reached and there is no cooperation with LOTN". At the same time, they added that the information on the LOTN website about co-operation with the Mi-17V-5 helicopter manufacturer does not correspond with reality.
An unnamed Russian source from the Russian Ministry of Defence also commented on the entire incident. In his words, "there is no international law that would prohibit the modernization of anyone's technology". He said: "You have to understand that Slovak businesses are not run by fools. They are well aware that not only Afghan but also an American soldier can be deployed in the helicopter. Therefore, I am convinced that everything is fine with this general overhaul ". He also said that the Russian defence industry has long been known for the problem of after-sales service, and "it is the well-known Achilles heel of all Russian arms manufacturers, and since the 1990s all customers of Russian armaments have been complaining about this." Another opinion is given by Ruslan PUKHOV, Director of the “Centre for Strategy and Technology Analysis”, who believes that RUSSIA should actively address the problem of "illegal" repairs of its technology. In his words, the solution is to offer better prices and create better conditions for customers.
It should be noted that LOTN has been involved in repairing and upgrading Mi-8/17´s helicopters family since the late 1980s. All the helicopters of the Slovak Air Force and many other countries have undergone modernization and general overhaul in LOTN. The last major contract was for the overhaul of three Mi-17 helicopters that serve in the US Army.