Russia completes anti-conronavirus mission in Serbia - Shoigu
MOSCOW. May 15 (Interfax) - Russian military specialists have completed their work in Serbia, where they were helping to counter the spread of Covid-19, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
"Our military specialists have finished carrying out measures to counter the coronavirus infection in Italy, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina," Shoigu said when briefing Russian President Vladimir Putin on the fight against Covid-19 in the Armed Forces.
"This work is still continuing in Armenia," he said.
Interfax reported that earlier this spring, around 200 Russian radiation, chemical, and biological protection specialists were sent abroad to Italy, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Armenia to help counter the spread of the novel coronavirus.
On April 3-4, 11 Russian military transport planes airlifted 87 Russian servicemen, including military medics and virologists from the Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops along with special-purpose medical equipment, protective gear, and 16 pieces of military hardware to Serbia.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on April 23 that Russian specialists had completed their work in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, it emerged on May 2 that the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina had not let in the Russian unit to again disinfect a local clinic as part of coronavirus containment measures.
Fifteen planes of the Russian Defense Ministry airlifted eight medical brigades, around 100 military virologists and epidemiologists, diagnostic and disinfection equipment, and one of the Russian Radiation, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops' 15 laboratories to Italy in March. The Russian military specialists began returning from Italy on May 8. Russia is now completing the withdrawal of its unit from Italy.