A proposal to send 12 Soviet-made Mi-24 attack helicopters to Ukraine will be submitted for approval during the next session of the North Macedonian government, the country’s Defense Minister Slavjanka Petrovska announced on March 25, according to the local media outlet Nezavisen.
Petrovska said that the decision will not affect the combat readiness of the North Macedonian military since the “equipment is already at the end of its use, according to our modernization plans,” as quoted by the media.
“All the equipment that has been donated so far has to do with the request of the Ukrainian authorities, who are able to use them, but also to maintain them,” the minister added.
The minister revealed that Northern Macedonia, who became a full member of NATO in 2020, will purchase eight new Western-made helicopters to replace the Mi-24s.
The Northern Macedonia military received the Mi-24 helicopters from Ukraine during the conflict with the Albanian National Liberation Army militant group in 2001.
Ten of the helicopters are of the Mi-24V version which can be armed with 9M114 Shturm anti-tank guided missiles in addition to unguided rockets, bombs and machine guns. The other two are of the Mi-24K reconnaissance and artillery observation version.
A few months after the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine last year, Northern Macedonia supplied its only four Su-25 close air support fighters jets to Kiev forces. Just like the Mi-24s, the fighter jets were purchased from Ukraine during the 2001 conflict.
Without the possible donation of 12 Mi-24 helicopters, Northern Macedonia’s military support to Ukraine will top €30 million.
NATO has been working to rebuild the aerial capabilities of Ukraine for the last few months. Very recently, the Ukrainian Air Force received four Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets from Slovakia. More will be delivered by Slovakia as well as Poland in the near future.
Source: South Front
