Serbia receives two Russian fighter jets
The air force of Serbia received two Russian Mig-29 fighter jets, as reported by the Voice of America.
According to the publication, at the ceremony at the military airport near Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, President Aleksandar Vucic thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for Russia's assistance in the development of the Serbian Armed Forces.
In October 2017, Serbia received 6 Mig-29 fighter jets from Russia. In addition, Russia promised to provide Serbia with 30 tanks and about 30 armored vehicles.
Moscow promised to give Serbia 6 used planes for free. Two of these planes, which underwent significant upgrade, were delivered this week. The repair of six planes will cost Serbia about 185 million euro.
Vucic stressed that the refurbished MiGs will be named in honor of the Serbian pilots and other ‘heroes’ who died during the “NATO aggression” in 1999, when the forces of the Western allies waged military actions against the Serbian Air Forces due to the repression of Serbian authorities against Albanian separatists in Kosovo. In the 1990s, Serbia, an ally of Russia, started war against Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo after the break-up of Yugoslavia.
Serbia wishes to join the EU, however, the country is under Russia’s influence and opposes the expansion of NATO and other Western organizations in the region.