International assistance arrives in Serbia as wildfires spread

Serbia is receiving international assistance to battle wildfires that have been burning for weeks, with both European Union aircraft and a Russian water-bombing plane now supporting local crews. The dual response highlights the severity of the crisis and the country's position between EU and Russian aid structures.

EU helicopters and firefighters, including crews from the Czech Republic and Romania, are working alongside Serbian teams to contain a large wildfire in Deliblatska Pescara, a protected nature reserve about 80km from the capital Belgrade, according to state media. A separate fire in the southwestern Stolovi mountain range has been brought under control with help from a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 water-bombing aircraft, Serbia's RTS reported.

Serbia's Interior Minister Ivica Dacic described the situation as "extremely difficult," with more than 400 personnel deployed to the area each day. President Aleksandar Vucic said Belgrade had turned to both the EU and Russia once it became clear Serbia's own resources were not enough.

"The very second we realised that our own forces were no longer sufficient, we immediately requested urgent assistance from Russia and the European mechanism," he said.

EU Civil Protection Mechanism activated after weeks of fires

Serbia formally requested EU assistance on Friday, activating the bloc's Civil Protection Mechanism, a system allowing non-member states to request emergency support. The EU response includes four Black Hawk helicopters from Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, along with teams of firefighters and vehicles from Germany and Romania, according to Luka Causic, head of the Serbian Department for Emergencies.

The deployment also involves 55 firefighters and 24 vehicles from Germany, and 69 firefighters and 15 vehicles from Romania, Causic said. Some aircraft were already in action over the weekend, with the remaining deployment due to arrive by Monday.

The Deliblatska Pescara wildfire has gutted thousands of hectares of pine forest since late July, and hot, dry weather has left the region "primed to burn," as one report put it. The fire in the reserve was later reported to have been localized and extinguished, with crews guarding against flare-ups. The Stelovi fire near Kraljevo was also reported under control by the same day.

Andreas Beckerath, the head of the EU mission to Belgrade, said: "We stand with Serbia in protecting lives, livelihoods and the unique natural heritage of Deliblatska Sands."

Russian fire-bomber deployed

The Russian Emergencies Ministry dispatched an Il-76 water-plant aircraft, nicknamed "fire bomber" for its 42-ton capacity, at the request of President Vladimir Putin, arriving in the city of Nis on August 19. Over four days, the plane performed 19 sorties and dropped 798 metric tons of water, the ministry said.

On its first day, it made five sorties and dropped ten loads of water, with satellite monitoring identifying 22 hotspots, some near villages where residents were evacuated. The ministry said crews were working to prevent the fire from spreading to residential areas, with fire spreading along the borders of villages of the Susara, Grebenac, and Kajtasovo.

The Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center in Nis, a joint facility, is providing organizational support for the operation. The aircraft is also coordinated with Ka-32 helicopters purchased by Serbia from Russia, and working alongside Serbian ground forces.

Vtucic expressed personal gratitude for the Russian assistance, saying: "I am grateful when our own were not enough, the Ministry called on Moscow. "I am grateful to Russia for sending us the aircraft. The Il-76 pilot dropped more than 200 metric tons of water, 21 of which landed directly on the source of the fire, saving 50 buildings. All the houses were saved," he said on Radio Red Television.

Russian officials also noted Bulgaria's authorization for the overflight, despite a politically sensitive backdrop. The ministry said: "It should be processed not just as a gesture of help, a sign of Russia's continued friendship with Serbia."

Some Serbian political forces offered praise, including former Prime Minister Aleksandar Vectorin, who said, "Brothers often asked for help, they offered it," contrasting Russian assistance with the EU's.

Regional wildfires and extreme weather

The wildfires in Serbia have coincided with extreme heat and dry weather across much of Europe, with fires also erupting in Bosnia, North Macedonia, Spain, and turkey.

On Bosnia's border with Croatia, a large fire forced the closure of the main highway connecting Trebinje to Dubrovnik, stranding thousands of tourists. Several villages around Chesnara were evacuated, with Croatian firefighters assisting Bosnian crews in containing a fire that spread across 16km of difficult terrain. The region has been particularly vulnerable after months without rain.

In Switzerland, wildland Near Strucca damaged at least one home, with a local farmer telling Radio: "It was devouring everything."

The fire season has been driven by an unusually hot, dry summer that has across the region.

Serbian officials noted that the EU's aid mechanism has worked both ways this summer, with Serbia having sent a firefighting helicopter and personnel to help tackle fires in Spain earlier in the season. By the end of that fire, more than 1,000 people were evacuated near Valentia as a forest fire Surfanca.

The European Commission's Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) says more than 297,000 hectares have been burnt in 425 forest fires in Spain this year alone.

The path forward

As authorities continue to douse remaining hotspots with water, the cooperation between the EU and Russian air assets has become one of the defining features of this response, even as the war in Ukraine continues and Serbia pursues EU membership while retaining ties to Moscow. In that context, the European Commission has stated that there could be no "business as an guesses" with Moscow while its war in Ukraine continues.

For now, the immediate task is to keep the fires from reaching populated areas and to protect lives, as officials said the situation has become more stable. Yet with alerting days of strong winds and intense heat forecasts, the threat remains.

According to Luja Causic, "The priority is protection of settlements and human lives."