BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The Russian military has flown 11 planeloads of equipment and medical experts to Serbia to help it fight the coronavirus spread.
The Serbian Defense Ministry says the last of the Russian cargo planes landed early Saturday at a military airport near Belgrade, delivering disinfection experts and their gear.
Serbia, which formally seeks European Union membership, has maintained close political and economic ties with Russia and Moscow has provided it with weapons.
Serbia’s Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin has thanked Moscow for sending the aid, saying it shows “that we are not alone, that the Russian Federation and the Russian people will always be with us whenever it is needed.”
The transport follows last month’s deployment of a similar Russian coronavirus task force to Italy and the delivery of medical supplies to the United States.
Russian officials have angrily rejected claims that the Kremlin was seeking political gains by providing medical aid to other countries.