Russian aircraft flies through Bulgarian airspace

A Russian Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft entered Bulgaria from the Black Sea and headed west on Wednesday evening. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the flight of the aircraft, which is used for disaster and emergency response, was humanitarian. The machine belongs to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation.

The flight was carried out following a request from the Serbian side through a diplomatic note concerning the wildfires in Serbia. In preparation for the flight, the Bulgarian authorities issued the necessary permits in accordance with the established procedure.

The Ministry of Transport also told NOVA that the aircraft was a firefighting plane. Bulgaria provided assistance as quickly as possible, and the necessary permits for the flight were issued in accordance with the established procedure. The fires are in close proximity to Bulgarian territory, and such a response is entirely normal, the authorities said.

The aircraft landed at 8:20 p.m. local time at Constantine the Great Airport in Niš. The heavy firefighting aircraft will take part in fighting the fires on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin.