Croatia to send 14 Mi-8 helicopters to Ukraine
Croatia plans to transfer to Ukraine 14 Mi-8 helicopters, which have been taken out of its army's service.
According to the Croatian media "Jutarnji list," twelve Mi-8MTV-1 and two Mi-8T helicopters have been taken out from the Croatian Armed Forces.
Currently, the markings are being removed from the helicopters, and repair and restoration work is being carried out at the aviation and technical center base in Velika Gorica (Zagreb County, Croatia).
The publication assumes the equipment will be ready for transportation in about ten days. According to journalists, seven helicopters will be partially disassembled and delivered by land, and the remaining seven will be transported by air to Poland.
The Croatian authorities have not officially confirmed the information about sending the Mi-8 helicopters since the country's government classified military aid to Ukraine as closed for public access.
It should be noted that in November, Jutarnji list reported that the Croatian government planned to approve the decision on the transfer of 14 Soviet Mi-8 helicopters of various modifications to Ukraine. And in turn, Croatia expected to receive more modern Black Hawk helicopters from the USA.
For reference:
Croatia plans to decommission all Soviet or russian-made helicopters by 2026, so it will no longer repair old aircraft. That is why the Croatian authorities are likely to decide to transfer the Mi-8 helicopters to the combat zone in Ukraine.
Earlier, US President Joe Biden stated that there was no basis upon which there was a rationale to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets now. Returning to whether this meant that fighter jets would "never" be sent to Ukraine, Biden answered that it was impossible to know exactly what the Ukrainian defense would need in the future.
