Russia's Il-76 Flies Through Bulgaria to Aid Serbia Firefighting

Bulgaria has issued the necessary permits for the flight of a Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations Il-76 aircraft through its airspace to Serbia.

Consensus

• Bulgaria granted permission for a Russian Il-76 MCHS aircraft to fly through its airspace.
• The flight occurred on August 19, 2025, between 20:14 and 21:05.
• The aircraft landed at Niš airport in Serbia.
• The flight was conducted to assist in fighting wildfires in Serbia.
• The request for the flight came from the Serbian side.
• The flight was classified as a humanitarian mission.

Points of divergence

• The flight took place on August 20, 2024. — vm
• The flight occurred on August 19, and the wildfires in Serbia were spreading near the Bulgarian border, posing a threat to border regions. — vesti
• Russia and Thailand are discussing direct flights from Thai airlines to Moscow, and Saudia Airlines plans to resume flights from Riyadh to Moscow in September 2026. — vm

Coverage (2 sources)

• Bulgaria for the first time in three years allowed a plane from Russia to fly — Вечерняя Москва
• In Bulgaria, they explained why a Russian aircraft was allowed to fly for the first time in three years — Вести

Key entities

• Bulgaria
• Russia
• MCHS
• Ministry of Transport
• Serbia
• Nishe
• Moscow
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Ministry of Transport
• Republic of Serbia
• Il-76