BRUSSELS, July 30. /TASS/. The European Commission has confirmed that EU sanctions prohibit the supply of spare parts for the Russian-made Ka-32 helicopters owned by Spain, which the country is unable to use to fight wildfires affecting much of Europe, Spokeswoman Siobhan McGarry told reporters.

"What's clear for us is that the sanctions that would appear to be relevant date from October 2022 when we approved an import ban on powered aircraft. I can give you the customs code and also under some aircraft and helicopters. And, of course, with all of our sanctions measures, these were adopted by unanimity in the [EU] Council. That being said, <…> member states are responsible for enforcing sanctions, so it would be best to contact the Spanish authorities for clarification on this issue," she said in response to journalists' requests to confirm whether EU sanctions are preventing Spain from using its specialized Russian Ka-32 helicopters to fight the unprecedented wildfires sweeping across Europe this summer.

The spokeswoman acknowledged that the European Commission has little information on this issue. Although EU member states are responsible for enforcing sanctions, they cannot legally opt out of restrictions approved and implemented by the EU Council. McGarry did not address this issue.

According to a specialized European center, as of July 29, 435,000 hectares of forest had been destroyed by fires. The largest fires are in Spain and France.

Between 2004 and 2014, Spain purchased about 15 Russian Ka-32 helicopters, which are considered to be among the most effective aircraft for fighting fires. They were previously widely used throughout Europe.

According to Spain’s La Razon newspaper, European sanctions against Russia have led to the suspension of operations for ten Ka-32 helicopters that remained in service in Spain in 2022. Restrictions imposed by Brussels are preventing specialists from traveling from Moscow to perform maintenance. The situation is further complicated by the inability to obtain necessary spare parts.