MOSCOW, July 29. /TASS/. Europe has no alternatives to Russia's Ka-32 firefighting helicopters, and by banning the servicing of and spare parts supplies for Russian aircraft, the European Union is hurting itself, Russia's state technology corporation Rostec told TASS.

"In their effort to harm Russia, Europeans are harming themselves. Or rather, it is European bureaucrats who are doing so, as they are indifferent to the problems facing their own citizens. They abandoned the use of our Be-200 aircraft, which spent many years helping fight wildfires in Europe. For example, in 2021 these aircraft literally saved Greece, operating there continuously for two months. Now, because of the ban on servicing and spare parts supplies, Spain's fleet of Ka-32 firefighting helicopters has been grounded, and local authorities have nothing to replace it with," Rostec said.

The state corporation noted that Europe has no other highly maneuverable aircraft capable of carrying large volumes of water and delivering it accurately onto fires.

"European bureaucrats are unable to offer any solution, yet they continue to prohibit cooperation with Russia. As a result, wildfires are now spreading right up to populated areas," Rostec said.

Earlier, Berliner Zeitung newspaper reported that European Union sanctions against Russia are hindering wildfire-fighting operations in France and Spain because European countries are unable to use Russian-made Ka-32 helicopters.