World News
European Union and Russian aircraft assist Serbia in battling severe wildfires
Serbia requested international assistance as extreme heat and drought fueled blazes across the Balkans.
The short version
- Serbia has deployed international firefighting support from both the EU and Russia to combat severe wildfires that surpassed its domestic capacity.
- A Russian water-bombing plane and EU helicopters and ground teams are operating in critical areas, including the Deliblatska Pescara nature reserve.
- The regional wildfire crisis has also spread to neighboring North Macedonia, Bosnia, and Croatia, forcing road closures and evacuations.
Key facts
- Serbia formally requested urgent assistance on Friday through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and from Russia after realizing domestic resources were insufficient.[Al Jazeera]
- A large wildfire has been burning for weeks in Deliblatska Pescara, a protected nature reserve near Belgrade.[Al Jazeera]
- A separate fire in the southwestern Stolovi mountain range was brought under control with the help of a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 water-bombing aircraft.[Al Jazeera]
- The EU response includes four Black Hawk helicopters from Romania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, alongside firefighting teams and vehicles from Germany and Romania.[Al Jazeera]
- Serbia's state broadcaster RTS reported that 168 tonnes of water have been dropped across the Deliblatska Pescara and Stolovi fires.[Al Jazeera]
- Wildfires are also affecting neighboring countries, including a blaze in North Macedonia that damaged at least one home, and a fire between Bosnia and Croatia that temporarily closed a main road to Dubrovnik.[Al Jazeera]