Assistant Minister of the Interior and Head of the Sector for Emergency Situations Predrag Maric said today that firefighting airtankers of the Russian Ministry for Affairs of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief are expected to be deployed at the Nis airport Konstantin Veliki after 18 August.

In a statement to Tanjug news agency, Maric said that the airtankers will be deployed at the Nis airport so that a quick action could be taken in case of greater fires in Serbia and the region.

The arrival of Russian airtankers will also represent a promotion of a future humanitarian centre for providing help in case of natural disasters and natural and other catastrophes.

The recent fires that have caught Russia have delayed the arrival of the airtankers and they will be deployed at Nis airport shorter than expected, Maric said.

The invitation to deploy the airtankers at the Nis airport was made with the aim of providing international cooperation and assistance in case of emergency situations.

The airtankers in question are Ilyushin IL 76TD, MI 26T, MI 8M TV and Beriev Be-200.