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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Russian Ilyushin aircraft to join firefighting efforts in Deliblato Sands from tomorrow

Belgrade, 19 August 2026

The Ministry of the Interior announced that an Ilyushin aircraft from the Ministry of Civil Protection, Emergencies and Disaster Relief of the Russian Federation, which will be deployed to join the firefighting efforts in Deliblato Sands, landed tonight at the Constantine the Great Airport in Niš.

The aircraft was welcomed by Assistant Minister of the Interior and Head of the Emergency Situations Sector Luka Čaušić and representatives of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Serbia.

Čaušić emphasised that, at a time when Serbian firefighters and rescuers have been battling the fire for days in extremely difficult conditions, any additional assistance means more strength on the ground and greater safety for citizens, and he expressed his gratitude to the Russian Federation for its assistance.

Our colleagues in Europe are facing numerous fires due to the extremely hot and dry period. Considering that no firefighting aircraft with this capacity are available within the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, the Russian aircraft will significantly strengthen our capacities in fighting the fire in Deliblato Sands, Čaušić stated.

Starting tomorrow, the Ilyushin will be involved in firefighting operations in Deliblato Sands, in coordination with the Helicopter Unit of the Serbian Ministry of the Interior.