Laurent Lagneau reports in Opex360. Cyprus, which has had good relations with Moscow for a long time, had equipped its National Guard with Russian-made equipment, including the Mi-35P Hind attack helicopters. However, due to European sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and other operational challenges, Cyprus decided to withdraw these helicopters from service in 2021.
Cyprus has delivered its old Russian Mil Mi-35 attack helicopters to Serbia as part of a deal, Laurent Lagneau reports in Opex360. Cyprus, which has had good relations with Moscow for a long time, had equipped its National Guard with Russian-made equipment, including the Mi-35P Hind attack helicopters. However, due to European sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and other operational challenges, Cyprus decided to withdraw these helicopters from service in 2021.
The decision to retire these helicopters was driven by factors such as the high maintenance costs (100 million euros over ten years), their unsuitability for the National Guard’s missions, and the risk of American sanctions under the CAATSA law. These Mi-35Ps will be replaced by six H145M helicopters from Airbus Helicopters