04.06.2021.

Serbian and Russian engineering units’ "Humanitarian Assitance"

Members of the Serbian and Russian Armed Forces are carrying out engineering works in the municipality of Ivanjica as part of the "Humanitarian Assistance" project.

The Second and Third Army Brigade engineers are currently working on the reconstruction of the road on Golija using engineering machinery, side by side with their Russian colleagues. The reconstructed road will enable the residents of this mountainous area to live and work again, as before last year's floods, which left them without an important road section.

Speaking about the importance of the "Humanitarian Assistance" project, Captain I Class Vladan Simonović from the Second Army Brigade Command points out that this project is carried out as part of bilateral military cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the Russian Federation. The aim of the project is to help the municipality of Ivanjica recover from the damage caused by last year’s natural disaster.

— This is a road reconstruction project in the local community of Srednja Reka, on a 13-kilometre-long road section stretching from the Dajići village and the Suva reka and Sastavci hamlets - Captain Simonović emphasized.

According to him, 24 members of the Serbian Armed Forces and 13 engineering machines, six self-unloading motor vehicles and two off-road motor vehicles are involved in this task.

The fifteen-member Russian engineering unit, led by Lieutenant Colonel Tlegen Davletyarov, consists of the command and the personnel performing the works.

— The tasks performed by the Serbian engineering units are similar to those performed by the Russian engineering units. As for the technique, there are, of course, certain differences and the technique is not the same, but given that experts are involved in this task, they have quickly adjusted to the "Serbian way" of performing tasks - Lieutenant Colonel Davletyarov said.

Lieutenant Colonel Davletyarov said that the cooperation with the SAF members was excellent. — We are in a fraternal country, with slightly different geographical features, but, otherwise, everything is done in the same way - Lieutenant Colonel Davletyarov said.

Emphasizing the importance of building a road for the locals of that area, the President of the municipality of Ivanjica, Momčilo Mitrović, points out that the reconstruction of the Dajići - Srednja reka - Staro selo - Sastavci section is, above all, important for the survival of people in that region.

— The Serbian and Russian Armed Forces’ project will contribute a lot to facilitating the access to these areas, whether for wood industry, animal husbandry and other predominant economic activities in this area – Mitrović said.

He thanked the Serbian Armed Forces, noting that this was not the first time the military had helped, adding that the Serbian Armed Forces meant security for the residents of this area.