Croatia has begun preparing 14 Mi-8 helicopters for shipment to Ukraine. 12 Mi-8MTV-1 helicopters and two Mi-8T helicopters were withdrawn from the armed forces, they are being prepared for transportation. This was reported by the Croatian edition Morning paper with reference to sources.
The helicopters are expected to be ready for transport in regarding ten days. According to the publication, seven helicopters will be partially dismantled, they will be transported by land, and the remaining seven will fly to Poland. All 14 helicopters will be transferred to Poland, from where they will be transported to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian armed forces usually use Soviet Mi-8 helicopters. As CNN wrote, many of them are over 30 years old. Ukrainian pilots are forced to fly helicopters close to the ground to avoid being shot down.
On February 9, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky asked partners to hand over modern fighter jets. Most European countries, for various reasons, refused to supply Ukraine with modern aviation. French President Emmanuel Macron did not exclude the supply of modern fighters, the British authorities promised to send them later.
