Russia Launched Large-Scale Information and Propaganda Campaign in Europe, Exploiting Wildfire Crisis to Promote its Firefighting Aviation

Against the backdrop of massive wildfires in Spain and France, Russian and pro-Russian media outlets have intensified an information campaign aimed at discrediting EU sanctions and promoting Russian firefighting aviation.

One of the participants in this campaign, identified by Militarnyi, is the leader of the French party The Patriots and former Member of the European Parliament Florian Philippot, who published a post on July 26. A number of pro-Russian accounts also shared similar messages.

In his post, Philippot claimed that EU sanctions have grounded Spain’s fleet of Ka-32 helicopters, calling the restrictions ‘idiotic’ and harmful to Europeans. According to him, the helicopters are grounded due to a lack of spare parts and the inability to bring in Russian technicians.

In addition, claims are made that, due to European sanctions and hostility toward Russia, countries allegedly cannot afford to purchase specialized firefighting aircraft.

Similar posts appeared en masse on July 25–27 from pro-Russian accounts.

🇪🇸🇷🇺‼️🚨 SANCTIONS CHAOS – FIREFIGHTING HELICOPTERS GROUNDED

Spain can’t use its fleet of Kamov 32 Fire Attack helicopters!

The Russian firefighter helicopters, designed to drop more than 5,000 liters of water with precision and maneuverability on wildfires, are extremely… https://t.co/JXmemiTT9y pic.twitter.com/9E9ViHfkhx

— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) July 26, 2026

As examples, they cite Mi-26 helicopters in the context of firefighting in Algeria, as well as Be-200 amphibious aircraft. In fact, there are issues with maintaining the Spanish Ka-32 helicopters due to sanctions—a fact acknowledged by the Spanish side as early as 2024.

Despite this, the authors deliberately ignore the fact that the Spanish government currently has one of the largest fleets of firefighting aircraft.

It consists of about 20 heavy Canadair CL-215T and CL-415 amphibious aircraft from the 43rd Group of the Spanish Air and Space Force, as well as 10 light firefighting aircraft and about 40 helicopters used for firefighting.

Spain has also ordered six of the latest DHC-515 Firefighter amphibious aircraft from De Havilland Canada of Canada Limited. In addition to government agencies, the country also enlists private companies that specialize in using aircraft for firefighting.

For example, Avincis is based in Portugal, and its fleet consists of approximately 210–220 aircraft, including 170 helicopters, operating from more than 190 bases in 10 countries around the world (primarily in Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Scandinavia).

European countries are also deploying their own and allied forces: Canadair, Dash, and Air Tractor aircraft, as well as military aircraft, notably the A400M. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism has already dispatched additional aircraft to assist Spain and France.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that due to the unprecedented wildfires in France, several strategic military facilities were at risk, including a plant where M51 intercontinental ballistic missiles are fueled and a Dassault plant where Rafale fighter jets are assembled.

In addition, France deployed an Airbus A400M Atlas military transport aircraft—equipped with a special detachable kit for dropping water and retardant—to fight the wildfires for the first time.