Smoke from the wildfires still hangs over parts of Serbia, but as the flames slowly recede another debate is taking shape in their wake — one that has less to do with firefighting and more with politics. In early August, wildfires swept across Serbia, burning through more than 3,500 hectares (8,600 acres) in the Deliblato Sands Special Nature Reserve. Firefighters, soldiers and helicopters battled the flames for days.
Then a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 firefighting aircraft arrived in the southern city of Nis. Serbia had turned to Moscow for help, making Russia the first foreign country it asked to provide a firefighting aircraft. Pro-government media greeted its arrival with celebratory coverage, dubbing the aircraft the "Russian beast." "Considering that there are no firefighting aircraft of this capacity available within the European Union, the arriving Russian aircraft will significantly strengthen our capacities to fight the fires," said Luka Causic, head of the Serbian Interior Ministry's Department for Emergency Situations.
The episode, however, was already being viewed through a geopolitical lens, as Serbia had sought Russian assistance before activating the EU's emergency mechanism. When it did call on the EU, the response was swift. Brussels mobilized four helicopters from its strategic rescEU reserve, based in Czechia, Romania and Slovakia, along with ground firefighting teams from Germany and Romania.
President Aleksandar Vucic rejected the idea that turning to Russia first was a foreign-policy decision or a sign of Serbia's political alignment with Moscow. "As far as equipment and resources are concerned, we are a European giant. The helicopters we received from Europe to fight the fires are less capable than ours and have a lower carrying capacity than our own," Vucic said during a visit to the Deliblato Sands.
The wildfire episode came less than two weeks after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made his first official visit to Serbia. The two presidents reaffirmed their support for each other's territorial integrity, which is particularly significant for Belgrade because Ukraine does not recognize the independence of Kosovo . Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, which Belgrade still does not recognize.
But Vucic is also trying to keep the other side on board, said Vuk Vuksanovic, a political scientist and foreign policy lecturer at King's College London. Vuksanovic argues that Vucic's engagement with Zelenskyy must therefore be portrayed in Moscow not as a fundamental shift in Serbia's relationship with Russia, but as a response to Western pressure and Serbia's own interests. "Vucic is now trying to make sure that neither the West nor Russia becomes an open opponent during the election campaign," said Vuksanovic.
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