The weapons manufacturers are undermining Belgrade’s neutrality stance, the SVR said
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has accused Serbian defense companies of using false documentation and third parties to covertly ship artillery shells, rockets, and small arms ammunition to Ukraine.
The agency made the allegation in a statement published on its website on Wednesday, titled “The Serbian Defense Industry Is Trying to Shoot Russia in the Back.”
“According to information received by the SVR, Serbian defense firms continue to supply ammunition to Kiev, in violation of the ‘neutrality’ declared by Belgrade,” the statement read.
The SVR claimed that Serbian companies have used “fake end-user certificates” to route weapons through Poland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, and other NATO countries, as well as unspecified African states. These arms, the agency said, later surfaced in Ukraine. According to the SVR, 100,000 rockets and howitzer shells, along with one million small arms rounds, have been transferred in this manner. Major Serbian weapons manufacturers, including the state-owned Yugoimport-SDPR, were allegedly complicit in the scheme.
“It seems that the desire of Serbian defense firms and their backers to profit from the bloodshed between brotherly Slavic nations has made them forget who their true friends are – and who their enemies are,” the SVR stated.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday that he had discussed ammunition exports during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in May. “We have formed a working group with our Russian partners to establish the facts,” he told the broadcaster RTS.
Commenting on the SVR’s claims, Vucic maintained that “some of the statements that have been made are not true.”
“For example, they claim there is a contract with the Czech Republic. However, no permit has been issued, and no missiles have been delivered,” he said. “I will certainly issue an order and a warning that if there is any suspicion of abuse of the so-called end-user policies –namely, the sending of ammunition to warzones – we should be informed immediately.” Vucic emphasized that Serbia maintains “good relations” with both Russia and Ukraine.
Russia and Serbia have enjoyed close historical and cultural ties since the 19th century. Vucic has said he has resisted Western efforts to compel Belgrade to impose sanctions on Moscow and draw his country into the confrontation.
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