Greece announced earlier that up to 40,000 hectares of forest had burned down in the country so far this summer. In the provinces of Attica in southern Greece and Boeotia in the east, more than a sixth of the woodland has been destroyed.
"In line with the Russian president's order, the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations has sent to Greece additional aircraft to help combating forest fires," Viktor Beltsov, deputy head of the ministry's information department, said.
Russian President ordered the ministry to send more aircraft to Greece after he promised the Greek prime minister Thursday that Russia will help the country to fight forest fires.
Beltsov said that both helicopters can carry up to five metric tons of water.
A Mi-26T helicopter that can carry up to 15 metric tons of water has been already involved in a firefighting operation in the country since July 25.
Scorching weather has caused large-scale forest fires throughout the Balkan Peninsula this summer. Several mountainous districts in eastern Serbia are still being swept by fires, and in one region, some 1,000 hectares of woodland have burned down.
