North Macedonia’s government approves transfer of combat helicopters to Ukraine

North Macedonian government approved its decision to supply a certain number of combat helicopters to Ukraine, the state's defense minister says.

Нагадаємо, що напередодні таке рішення проанонсувала міністерка оборони Слав'янка Петровська.

"The government has considered and taken note of the information about the need to conclude a protocol on the transfer of aircraft (helicopters) between the ministries of defence of North Macedonia and Ukraine and adopted the relevant protocol" the government in Skopje said.

Although the decision did not specify the types of helicopters, Slavjanka Petrovska, the Defense Minister, has previously spoken on the intention to transfer Mi-24 helicopters to Ukraine, which Skopje purchased from Kyiv in 2001.

Out of the 12 Mi-24 attack helicopters and four Mi-8/17 multi-role helicopters in the country, only two of each type are currently in use.

These four helicopters are currently in service, and four more Mi-24Bs have been modernised over the past decade in cooperation with the Israeli company Elbit Systems. They have been adapted for interaction with NATO forces and are equipped with avionics that allow the use of night vision goggles (NVG) and the Aviators Head-Up Display (ANVIS/HUD) night vision system.

Last year, North Macedonia supplied four Su-25 attack aircraft to Ukraine, which it bought from Kyiv during the conflict in 2001. The state handed over T-72 tanks Soviet to Ukraine, which it planned to decommission in the coming years.