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Russia will dispatch two Beriev Be-200 amphibious aircraft to Türkiye in the near future to assist with ongoing wildfire suppression efforts, the Russian Embassy in Ankara announced Tuesday.
The embassy said the deployment was made at the request of Turkish authorities, as the country faces its annual summer wildfire season, which typically runs from June through September in the Mediterranean and Aegean regions.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the Russian Embassy said the aircraft would arrive in Türkiye soon to support firefighting operations already underway.
The embassy framed the deployment as a direct response to a Turkish appeal for assistance, though it did not specify which Turkish agency made the request or provide a precise timeline for the aircraft's arrival.
The embassy extended its support to those who will carry out the operation, wishing success to the flight crews and "all relevant institutions" involved in what it called a "difficult and dangerous mission."
The Be-200 is a jet-powered amphibious aircraft built by Russia's Beriev Aircraft Company, capable of scooping water directly from lakes or the sea while skimming the surface, then dropping it over fire zones. Each aircraft can carry up to 12 tons of water per load.
Russia has deployed the planes to assist with firefighting efforts in several countries over the years, including Greece, Portugal, Israel and Indonesia, alongside repeated missions in Türkiye itself.
The aircraft type has a fraught history in Türkiye. In August 2021, a Be-200 crashed in the Kahramanmaras region while fighting a wildfire, killing all eight people on board, a mix of Turkish firefighters and Russian crew members, according to Turkish officials at the time.
Türkiye has faced recurring, often severe wildfire seasons in recent years, particularly across its western and southern provinces, where hot, dry summers, strong winds and dense pine forests create conditions conducive to rapid fire spread.
Turkish authorities have said the country experienced thousands of forest fires in 2025, and officials have outlined plans to expand domestic firefighting capacity ahead of the 2026 season, including additional aircraft, fire trucks and heavy equipment, according to Türkiye's General Directorate of Forestry.
International aerial support, including from Russia, has periodically supplemented Türkiye's own fleet of aircraft and helicopters during peak fire periods, particularly when fires strain domestic resources across multiple provinces simultaneously.
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