--- title: "Serbia Activates the rescEU Mechanism: Black Hawk Helicopters and Over 120 EU Rescuers Deployed Against Wildfires in the Đeleblat Sand Sea" description: "Serbia activated the rescEU mechanism: Black Hawk helicopters were dispatched from Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, while Germany and Romania sent 124 rescuers to fight the wildfires in the Đeleblat Sand Sea." date: 2026-08-23T12:00:49.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/serbia-resceu-black-hawk-helicopters-wildfires-deleblat-sand-sea tags: [serbia, wildfires, eu, rescu, black-hawk, deliblato-sands, civil-protection] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Serbia Activates the rescEU Mechanism: Black Hawk Helicopters and Over 120 EU Rescuers Deployed Against Wildfires in the Đeleblat Sand Sea ![Crew of a Black Hawk rescue helicopter holding the Czech flag before deployment to fight wildfires in Serbia under the rescEU mechanism](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/23/serbia-es-vertolety-black-hawk-protiv-pozharov-deliblatskie-peski/serbia-es-vertolety-black-hawk-protiv-pozharov-deliblatskie-peski-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - On 21 August 2026, Serbia activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (rescEU) due to wildfires in the Đeleblat Sand Sea, about 80 km from Belgrade. - Four Black Hawk helicopters were dispatched from the rescEU reserve: one from Romania (2.6 t of water) and three from the Czech Republic and Slovakia (3.5 t each). - Germany sent 55 personnel and 24 units of equipment, Romania — 69 personnel and 15 units; in total 124 rescuers and 39 units of equipment. - Since 22 August, Romanian and Slovak helicopters have been operating; on 23 August two helicopters from the Czech Republic are expected; the situation has stabilised, but strong winds are forecast. - An additional major wildfire is raging in the Stolevo mountains in the south-west of Serbia. On 21 August 2026, Serbia officially activated the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, requesting international assistance to combat the wildfires that have been raging since late July in the Đeleblat Sand Sea area — roughly 80 kilometres from Belgrade. The fires, which broke out against a backdrop of prolonged drought and abnormally hot weather, have destroyed thousands of hectares of pine forest and forced authorities to evacuate residents of dozens of homes in the surrounding villages. As Andreas Beikirat, head of the EU delegation in Belgrade, noted, the bloc "supports Serbia in protecting lives, livelihoods and the unique natural heritage of the Đeleblat Sand Sea". ### Scale of the Emergency and Serbia's Status in the EU Assistance System It is important to stress that Serbia is not a member of the European Union, yet it has access to emergency support tools thanks to its participation in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and its operational reserve, rescEU. It is precisely from this reserve, based in Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, that four Black Hawk helicopters were dispatched to Serbia. According to Luka Čaušić, head of Serbia's Department for Emergency Situations, one helicopter from Romania can carry 2.6 tonnes of water, while the three aircraft from the Czech Republic and Slovakia each have a payload capacity of 3.5 tonnes. At the deployment site, the Czech crew is shown displaying the national flag on board the helicopter bearing the operator's markings, confirming the actual arrival of the equipment from Prague. ### Ground Forces: Contributions from Germany and Romania In addition to the aviation assets, significant ground forces have been sent to Serbia. Germany dispatched 55 personnel and 24 units of equipment, while Romania sent 69 personnel and 15 units of specialised equipment. In total, this amounts to 124 rescuers and 39 units of equipment, working on the ground in coordination with aerial water drops. This combination of air and ground components is, in the assessment of Serbian authorities, key to holding the fire line and protecting populated areas. ### Deployment Timeline and Outlook for 23 August Since 22 August, helicopters from Romania and Slovakia have been directly involved in firefighting, and on 23 August the arrival of two helicopters from the Czech Republic is expected, which will complete the formation of the full rescEU aviation group. Luka Čaušić stated that by 22 August the situation had largely stabilised, however strong winds are forecast, which could again complicate operations and increase the risk of the fire spreading. He named the protection of residential areas and human lives as the top priority. A separate threat also persists in the south-west of the country, where another major wildfire is raging in the Stolevo mountains, doubling the load on the rescue services. Thus, the activation of the rescEU mechanism has become one of the first cases this season of deploying the EU's aviation reserve in favour of a candidate country, demonstrating that the bloc's civil protection tools work even beyond the boundaries of formal membership. The further development of the situation will largely depend on weather conditions and on how quickly the Czech and Slovak helicopters can ramp up the pace of aerial water drops. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [The European Union dispatched helicopters and firefighters to help Serbia fight the wildfires.](https://www.vietnam.vn/ru/lien-minh-chau-au-huy-dong-truc-thang-linh-cuu-hoa-giup-serbia-chua-chay-rung) - Подтверждает активацию rescEU, 4 вертолета Black Hawk из Румынии/Чехии/Словакии и наземные силы Германии и Румынии. - [Extreme weather in Europe: wildfires due to drought, floods after heavy rains](https://ru.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/23/extreme-weather-hits-europe-as-wildfires-floods-and-storms-force-thousands-to-evacuate) - Даёт контекст аномальной жары и лесных пожаров в Европе в августе 2026 г., согласуется с причиной ЧС в Сербии. - [BZ learned that the EU could not use Ka-32 firefighting helicopters due to sanctions](https://rt.rbc.ru/politics/28/07/2026/6a68c0409a7947a9c3c05cd5) - Контекстный источник о санкционных ограничениях на авиационные активы ЕС; не противоречит фактам развертывания rescEU, но относится к иному эпизоду (июль 2026). - [Massive fires in Serbia: the EU dispatched helicopters and over 100 firefighters (video)](https://focus.ua/world/765423-masshtabnye-pozhary-v-serbii-es-napravil-vertolety-i-bolee-100-pozharnyh-video) - Подтверждает масштаб пожаров в Сербии и направление вертолетов и более 100 пожарных из ЕС. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Why can Serbia receive EU assistance if it is not an EU member? **A:** Serbia participates in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and its operational reserve rescEU, which gives it access to emergency support tools even before joining the bloc. ### Q: How many helicopters were dispatched and what is their payload capacity? **A:** Four Black Hawk helicopters were dispatched: one from Romania with a payload capacity of 2.6 tonnes of water, and three from the Czech Republic and Slovakia with 3.5 tonnes each. ### Q: When did the Czech helicopters arrive? **A:** Since 22 August, Romanian and Slovak helicopters have been involved in firefighting, and on 23 August 2026 the arrival of two helicopters from the Czech Republic is expected. ### Q: Where else is there a fire in Serbia? **A:** In addition to the Đeleblat Sand Sea, a major wildfire is raging in the Stolevo mountains in the south-west of the country.