Russia slams Portugal’s decision to send six Russian firefighting helicopters to Ukraine

RUSSIA’S Maria Zakharova has slammed Portugal’s decision to send six Russian firefighting helicopters to Ukraine calling it a violation of its contractual obligations.

The Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation said on Thursday, October 20 that “Portugal’s decision to transfer six Russian firefighting helicopters to Ukraine will be a violation of its contractual obligations.”

“We call on our colleagues to refrain from steps that can discredit Portugal as a reliable partner,” she added.

💬#Zakharova: Lisbon’s decision to transfer six Russian firefighting helicopters to Ukraine will be a violation of its contractual obligations.

❗️ We call on our colleagues to refrain from steps that can discredit Portugal as a reliable partner pic.twitter.com/zt1NORZebb

— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) October 20, 2022

Tony Osborne reacted to the news, writing: “Who’d have thought the handover of six largely unserviceable helicopters by #Portugal would trigger the Kremlin…”

Who'd have thought the handover of six largely unservicable helicopters by #Portugal would trigger the Kremlin… https://t.co/7EMSUZRmoq

— Tony Osborne (@Rotorfocus) October 20, 2022

The move was announced by Portuguese Minister Helena Carreiras on October 13.

Carreiras, the Portuguese Defense Minister, stated at the time that the country was “unable to use or maintain these aircraft due to sanctions imposed on Russia, so they will be transferred to Ukraine in their current state.”

She added that “none of them has airworthiness certificates and therefore need repairs, and one is inoperative due to an accident.”

“At the request of Ukraine and in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, we will make available to Ukraine our fleet of Kamov helicopters,” as reported by emergency-live.com.

On October 12, it was reported that army troops from Spain, Slovenia and Portugal were participating in military training exercises on the outskirts of Lisbon in Mafra.

The training in Portugal focused on improving the army’s defence against nuclear, biological and chemical threats.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.