Serbia gets new helicopters from Russia

Serbia gets new helicopters from Russia
 
 Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic inspected the admission of some new helicopters for the Serbian forces, including four Russian Mi-35 helicopters.

At a ceremony at the Belgrade airbase, he thanked Russia for the support while praising the Mi-35 helicopters and he said: "have no rivals in the world".

Russia's arming of Serbia has fueled concerns in the West and in neighboring countries in the region as are still being renewed by the bloody wars of the 1990s.

Serbia, whose army relies on ex-Soviet weapons technology, has secured from Russia some MiG-29 warplanes in recent years as well as helicopters, tanks and armored carriers.

It aspires to EU membership but maintains close ties with Russia and has refused to join international sanctions against it because of the conflict in Ukraine.

Serbia has pledged to stay out of NATO, a goal of Russia, as does not want to see the Western military alliance expanding in the Balkans.

Serbia has relied on Russia in its continued refusal to recognize Kosovo's independence, which declared statehood in 2008, nine years after the end of the war with NATO intervention that ended Serbian forces' atrocities against Albanians.

Serbia also relies on Russia for natural gas supplies, and the largest local oil company is for the most part-owned by the Russian Gazprom. 
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