The North Macedonia’s Defence Minister, Slavjanka Petrovska has said that the Macedonian government will offer to transfer 12 Mi-24 attack helicopters to Ukraine.
The European Pravda reports that North Macedonian news outlet Nezavisen, cited Petrovska on the air of the Alsat TV channel.
Petrovska noted that the General Staff of North Macedonia had completed an analysis of whether the country could provide Ukraine with Mi-24 helicopters. As she states, a proposal will be put forward at a government meeting on 29 March to make a decision.
She stressed that this decision would not affect the combat capability of the North Macedonian army.
“All the equipment that has been transferred so far, apart from the fact that it is at the request of the Ukrainians, they need it, and it is equipment that the Ukrainian army is skillfully using. This is equipment that, according to our plans, is reaching the end of its service life,” Petrovska said.
The Ministry of Defence will also purchase new multi-purpose helicopters, presumably eight units.
According to Defence24 Polish news outlet, only 2 of the 12 Mi-24 attack helicopters and 4 Mi-8/17 multipurpose helicopters in the country are currently in use.
These four helicopters and four more Mi-24Bs have been upgraded over the past decade in cooperation with Israeli company Elbit Systems.
They have been adapted to interact with NATO forces and are equipped with avionics that enable the use of night vision goggles (NVG) and the Aviators Head-Up Display (ANVIS/HUD) night vision system.
Last August, North Macedonia handed over four Su-25 attack aircraft to Ukraine that it bought from Kyiv during the 2001 conflict.
North Macedonia also donated Soviet T-72 tanks to Ukraine, which it planned to decommission in the coming years.
