Serbia Enlists EU and Russian Aircraft as Balkan Wildfires Rage On

Serbia turned to both the European Union and Russia for firefighting aircraft as weeks-long wildfires driven by an unusually hot, dry Balkan summer continued to burn, primarily in the Deliblatska Peščara nature reserve near Belgrade and the Stolovi mountains, with secondary fires in North Macedonia and along the Bosnia-Croatia border forcing a main road closure between Trebinje and Dubrovnik. Russia deployed an Ilyushin Il-76 water-bombing aircraft while the EU sent four Black Hawk helicopters from Romania, Slovakia, and Czech Republic plus firefighting teams from Germany and Romania; crews dropped 168 tonnes of water in a single day. Interior Minister Ivica Dačić called the situation at Deliblatska Peščara 'extremely difficult,' with more than 400 personnel deployed daily. President Aleksandar Vučić said Belgrade requested help from both blocs simultaneously once 'our own forces were no longer sufficient.'