"Unified sanctions against Russia hamper the fight against raging fires Spain has been stripped of any of its most effective fire-fighting helicopters at a time erstwhile fires ravage confederate Europe."

Updated 27 Jul, 2026 19:25

Night view of the fire in the Tiétar Valley, 26 July 2026, in the state of Ávila (Castile and León, Spain). © Getty Images / Gabri Solera/Europa Press

EU sanctions imposed on Russia have deprived Spain of access to advanced firefighting equipment in the face of unprecedented fire-related emergencies, which, by beating strength records, have swept parts of confederate Europe.

The rapidly spreading fires close Madrid, Bordeaux and Valencia have forced more than 360,000 people to evacuate in fresh days.

More than 9,000 firefighters, soldiers, police officers and another emergency services, supported by dozens of aircraft and hundreds of vehicles, were mobilised to combat the element.

However, this is hampered by the current drought and another rising heat wave.

According to the authorities, this year's fires are among the most dangerous measurements in history.

The situation in Spain further complicates the inability to usage the previously owned fleet of Russian Kamov Ka-32 helicopters.

These machines are considered peculiarly effective in extinguishing operations due to the advanced capacity of water tanks, maneuverability and ability to operate in utmost heat conditions and hard terrain.

This fleet, previously utilized under contracts with the national and regional authorities of Spain, remains grounded as a consequence of the EU sanctioning government imposed on Russia after the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.

Helicopter Kamow Ka-32A11M. © Getty Images / Leonid Faerberg/SOPA Images/LightRocket

A well-known French Eurosceptic Florian Philippot stated that EU restrictions actually deprived Spain nearly a twelve of its ‘best helicopters’ at the highest of the crisis.

Accusing Brussels of sacrificing Europeans to "stupid rusophobic ideology”, Les Patriotes group leader wrote on X: "These idiotic sanctions are a real problem, not for Russia, but for European countries"while demanding the abolition of these restrictions.

The Spanish Government acknowledged that the Ka-32 chopper fleet suffered from sanctions that prevent operators from purchasing spare parts and bringing Russian engineers to Spain for maintenance and method inspections.

Spain has directed replacement helicopters, firefighting aircraft and drones to fight fires, but these machines, as reported, take little water and are little effective in hard conditions.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated on Monday that the area destroyed by fire this summertime was six times larger than in the same period last year, informing against ‘difficult and complicated hours’That's coming.

France has evacuated about 250 000 people; over 13.5 1000 fires and fires have consumed over 116,000 hectares throughout the country in this season, said the Minister of the Interior Laurent Nuñez, calling the situation "completely unprecedented’ and stressing that it is "far from completion".

Only a fire in the Żironde department close Bordeaux consumed about 42,000 hectares and increased to specified an degree that it produced a uncommon 1 ‘pyrocumulus cloud’ (fire cloud).

It can make its own winds and atmospheric discharges, leading to abrupt and unpredictable changes in fire behaviour.

Nuñez stated that this fire had begun “to live your own life” and spreads in a unpredictable way, making his mastery an highly hard task.

According to the EU Copernicus Programme (which monitors climate change) This year, Western Europe recorded the hottest June in the past of measurements.

In France it was the warmest June and the day with the highest temperature in history, and in Spain evidence hot June days were recorded; utmost heat and drought importantly increased the hazard of fires.

Translated by Google Translator

source:https://www.rt.com/news/643547-spain-wildfire-russia-sanctions/