Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Ivica Dačić, together with Assistant Minister and Head of the Sector for Emergency Situations Luka Čaušić, visited the crew of the Il-76 aircraft of EMERCOM of Russia today at Constantine the Great Airport in Niš. They were joined by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Serbia, Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko. The Russian crew, together with Serbian firefighting and rescue teams, is engaged in firefighting operations in the Deliblato Sands, on Mount Stolovi near Kraljevo, and in Lukovo near Vranje.

Thanking the Russian Federation and the President of Russia for the prompt response and deployment of the specialized Il-76 firefighting aircraft, capable of carrying 42 tonnes of water, Minister Dačić noted that the Russian crew had so far carried out 22 sorties and dropped 924 tonnes of water on fire-affected areas across Serbia.

“Serbia requested assistance in fighting the devastating wildfires. As you know, the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center was established here several years ago. You also know that this is not the first time Russian aircraft have taken part in firefighting operations. On behalf of the Republic of Serbia, I would like to thank the Russian Federation for its prompt response. Our Sector for Emergency Situations is fighting heroically, and our firefighters and rescuers are deployed every day, including today, in an extraordinary struggle against natural disasters under extremely adverse hydrometeorological conditions, with further high temperatures and drought forecast, as well as hurricane-force winds in some areas such as the Deliblato Sands. They are also operating in extremely inaccessible terrain that is difficult to reach,” Minister Dačić said.

He explained that the Sector for Emergency Situations had concluded that it was necessary to request assistance through the various available mechanisms, particularly when it comes to high-capacity firefighting aircraft.

“The Russian Federation responded very quickly. Through diplomatic channels, we asked several countries to authorize the aircraft’s overflight, taking into account the sanctions against the Russian Federation and also the fact that the aircraft is being deployed for firefighting purposes…”
Source: Official Instagram account of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia.