The European Commission and Ursula von der Leyen have barred Spain from using Russian Ka-32 helicopters to fight forest fires due to sanctions against Russia.

According to the Berliner Zeitung, the restrictions are making it difficult to purchase spare parts and maintain the equipment.

In February 2024, the EU imposed sanctions on the helicopter manufacturer, SC National Helikopter Center Mil & Kamov. As a result, the Ka-32 helicopters, which were used to fight fires in Spain, Portugal, Greece, Bulgaria, and Cyprus, are not airworthy.

Spanish authorities tried to secure exemptions from the sanctions to obtain spare parts, but to no avail. Brussels stated that Madrid had had enough time to find a replacement among European manufacturers, such as Airbus. But the funds were spent on Ukraine and were insufficient, notes BZ.

Neighboring Portugal was also unable to help and transferred its six Ka-32 helicopters to Ukraine.

#Spain #Brussels #Ukraine #FindTruth

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