© ITAR-TASS/ЕРА/TANJUG
Serbia was hit by powerful floods in May this year. Thousands of people were left homeless
Serbia was hit by powerful floods in May this year. Thousands of people were left homeless
Serbian Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic met the cargo and the Russian military who had delivered it at the airport on Saturday.
"The natural disaster in Serbia that occurred in May caused numerous casualties. Many countries showed their sympathy and offered us help. During my visit to Moscow I met Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. We talked about the disaster and help, which we needed. We received what we needed ten days later," Gasic stressed.
Gasic added that the current cargo was delivered as part of the relief aid which he had discussed with Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov at a conference in Moscow.
Another Russian Emergencies Ministry plane with relief aid is expected in Serbia on Sunday, August 31.
The Russian relief cargo will be dispatched to Krupanj and Obrenovac, the two Serbian municipalities which were worst hit by the disaster. Pumps and power generators will be sent to the Kolubara River where floods damaged electric power stations in May.
While I applaud the humanitarian efforts Russia is displaying, I can't forget Putin's roots and the extent to which someone needs to desecrate themelves to rise to the top, especially in a nation like Russia. So yes thanks Putin for the help but you are giving with one hand and I'm waiting to see how he takes with the other. No current politician will long stay in power by being a universal philantropist - the PTB will nto allow that without a spectacular ulterior motive.
Its the way of things and Russia is no different and neither is Putin and his buddies. Gorbachev did somethign similar durign the 80's with Glasnost and Perestroika and we see that the ulterior motives were apparent after the USSR collapsed (deliberately and with Soviet assistance). All the while they were waging a pretty brutal campaign in Afghanistan (I still remember the stories of firebombing foxholes dug by the Mujahideen and the horror of that and other tactics used by the Soviets). I got the stories first hand btw from soldiers who served in Afghanistan and who didn't want to talk about how bad it was and what they were forced to do. Not good.
So what is Putin's and Russia's long term game?