Serbia has turned to Russia for assistance in fighting wildfires, after a shortage of firefighting aircraft across the European Union limited the country’s access to emergency support.
A Russian Emergencies Ministry IL-76P firefighting aircraft landed in the southern Serbian city of Nis on Wednesday and was deployed Thursday to combat a wildfire that has burned for weeks in the Deliblatska Pescara protected nature reserve.
Serbia is not an EU member but can access emergency assistance through the bloc’s Civil Protection Mechanism. However, wildfires across Europe have depleted available resources. Serbian authorities said no EU firefighting aircraft with comparable capacity were currently available.
The Russian aircraft was allowed to fly through Bulgaria, an EU and NATO member, after Serbia requested permission. Although Russian aircraft are generally barred from European airspace under sanctions imposed following Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, humanitarian operations are exempt.
The deployment highlights Serbia’s delicate balancing act between Russia and the European Union. Belgrade maintains longstanding ties with Moscow and has not joined Western sanctions against Russia, while continuing its bid to join the EU.
Serbian authorities previously sent a firefighting helicopter and emergency response team to assist Spain with its wildfires through the EU’s emergency mechanism.
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