The decision on the transfer was made after a request from the Ukrainian side and an analysis of the Macedonian army, the country's Defense Ministry reportedBELGRADE, March 26.
/tass/. North Macedonia will transfer 12 Mi-24 attack helicopters to Ukraine, which have almost exhausted their resource, said the Minister of Defense of the Republic Slavyanka Petrovska. On Sunday night, the portal Kosovo Online reported.
The minister said that the government of Northern Macedonia will decide on the transfer of 12 Mi-24 military helicopters to Ukraine, which the republic had previously bought from Kiev. The decision on the transfer was made after a request from the Ukrainian side and an analysis of the Macedonian army, which showed that "the deprivation of this military equipment will not affect the defense capabilities of Northern Macedonia." "According to our modernization plans, this equipment has almost worked out its working life and will not be included in our armaments. If we hadn't handed them over, something would have to be solved in a short time," the minister said.
In exchange for the Mi-24, North Macedonia intends to purchase at least eight Western-made helicopters, which will have a transport rather than military purpose, the Defense Minister notes.
Earlier, in July 2022, North Macedonia handed over T-72 tanks to Ukraine. The Macedonian Defense Ministry reported that we are talking about "third generation" tanks, consisting of a unit that will soon be disbanded. At the same time, the ministry did not specify how many tanks were transferred to the Ukrainian side. According to local media, earlier North Macedonia secretly sent Ukraine four Su-25 aircraft, which had been in conservation since 2004.