Romanian firefighters work to prevent a wildfire from reigniting as they tackle smoldering ground following a fire in the Deliblato Sands nature reserve in Serbia. (Photo: Reuters)
By August 19, fires had burned 619,298 hectares across the EU, more than twice the 2006-2025 average of 280,045 hectares for the same point in the year, according to the EU’s Joint Research Centre. The European Commission has described this summer’s operation as the bloc’s largest-ever wildfire response, with 777 firefighters from 14 countries pre-positioned in high-risk areas alongside 22 firefighting planes and five helicopters. The fire on Mt Stolovi near Kraljevo was reported under control by Sunday, after inaccessible terrain had complicated firefighting operations.
Serbia had initially sought Moscow’s help after its interior ministry said no firefighting aircraft “of this capacity” was available through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Serbian authorities said on Sunday that the fire at Deliblatska Pescara, a protected nature reserve where blazes had burned for weeks, had been localised and extinguished, with crews continuing to guard against flare-ups.
A Russian Emergencies Ministry IL-76P firefighting aircraft arrived in Nis on August 19 and began operating over Deliblatska Pescara the next day. Ankara mayor Mansur Yavas said 47 vehicles and 148 personnel were deployed, supported by 20 municipal tankers and four pieces of heavy machinery. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said legal proceedings had been opened over 73 forest fires in 25 provinces since June 1, with authorities identifying 46 suspects, arresting 12 and placing 21 under judicial supervision.
Because eU sanctions imposed after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine generally bar Russian aircraft from the bloc’s airspace, the Russian deployment required special clearance.
At that point, Serbia had not activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, although the bloc said it was ready to provide assistance suited to conditions on the ground. Bulgaria, an EU and Nato member, authorised the IL-76P to cross its airspace under a humanitarian firefighting exception after Belgrade requested permission, according to Bulgaria’s transport ministry. The Ankara governor’s office said authorities had detained a person they identified as responsible for starting the fire, while an investigation into the circumstances of the blaze continued.
Belgrade subsequently activated the mechanism, bringing EU aircraft and ground crews into an operation that already included Russian support. The Ankara fire comes amid a wider series of investigations into forest fires across Turkey.