BELGRADE, August 21. /TASS/. Russia has helped Serbia fight wildfires by sending a special Il-76 aircraft without any conditions, being guided by fraternal ties between Belgrade and Moscow, founder of Serbia’s Movement of Socialists and former Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin said.

"When hard times come, you don’t ask friends for help, you offer it. The European Union was free to offer or send assistance to fight fires, as Serbia has been doing for years. <…> We thank Russia, which, despite its own problems, demonstrated strength and willingness to stand with us in difficult times. And I hope that when the Serbian government soon receives a demand to close the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center, it will reject it with disgust. When hard times come, the Serbs call on the Russians. Brothers come to the rescue and set no conditions," he said as quoted by his press service.

He noted that despite Vladimir Zelensky’s recent visit to Serbia, Russia came to Belgrade’s aid.

Amid the difficult situation with wildfires, Serbia has asked Moscow to help. A Russian emergencies ministry’s special aircraft arrived in Nis, where the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center is located, on August 19 and joined firefighting operations on the following day.

Serbia’s most severe fire has been raging in the Deliblato Sands national reserve in the country’s northeast since early August. Helicopters as well as Serbian soldiers and specialists from the Russian-Serbian humanitarian center in Nis are taking part in the firefighting effort, which is being hampered by difficult terrain and historically low water levels in the Danube River. The natural reserve has been listed on the official UNESCO Tentative (Preliminary) List.