The sudden disappearance and suspected assassination of Aleksandar Nešović, known as “Baja”—a high-ranking associate of notorious crime boss Dejan Stojanović “Keka”—has triggered severe political aftershocks within Serbia’s ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and the administration of President Aleksandar Vučić.
The crisis deepened drastically three days later with the dramatic ousting and arrest of Veselin Milić, the powerful Chief of the Belgrade Police Directorate. Local investigative journalists argue that the unfolding scandal threatens to expose deep systemic links between state security organs and organized crime, leaving the public with far more questions than answers.
The Rise and Fall of Belgrade’s Police Chief
The first major question rattling Belgrade is how an official now charged with covering up a serious crime and aiding perpetrators could have served two separate terms as Belgrade’s police chief under the current administration—while spending the interim period as a formal security advisor to President Vučić.
According to investigative findings, the incident occurred on May 12, 2026, inside a well-known, high-end restaurant in Belgrade’s elite Senjak neighborhood. The state claims institutional ignorance until Nešović’s wife filed a missing person report, stating her husband had called her from the restaurant shortly before vanishing.
However, critical questions remain: Did Veselin Milić file an internal official memorandum regarding the shooting before he was placed in handcuffs? Were Milić and his close associates the only security officials present when the shots were fired?
Intelligence Failures or State Complicity?
Nešović’s name has long occupied a prominent position in internal directories compiled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) and Serbia’s secret services. Since the 1990s, his syndicate has been flagged as a highly dangerous criminal organization.
Logically, a figure of Nešović’s stature should have been under strict, round-the-clock state surveillance—particularly given that in early February, foreign nationals were arrested in Serbia for a prior, failed attempt on Nešović’s life. The fact that he could be targeted and potentially executed in a public restaurant suggests either a colossal intelligence failure or active state complicity.
Compounding the government’s discomfort are unconfirmed reports that on May 13—the day after the suspected hit—Serbia’s newly appointed Prime Minister, Đuro Macut, dined at the exact same Senjak restaurant.
Loyalists Deployed for Damage Control
In a bid to control the political fallout, the Vučić administration has reportedly relied on staunch loyalists within the justice system:
- Nenad Stefanović: A former sanitary inspector turned Chief of the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office (VJT) in Belgrade.
- Marko Kričak: A former car dealer turned Head of the Criminal Police Directorate (UKP).
The institutional response was notably sluggish. It took a full 48 hours after Nešović’s disappearance—and only after details flooded social media—for the VJT to issue a flurry of four press releases late in the afternoon of May 14.
The Prosecutor’s Office initially claimed they only learned of the case on the evening of May 13 following the wife’s report. They announced the arrest of two direct executors (S.V. and M.S.), followed by the arrest of the restaurant’s owner (N.L.). A third statement confirmed the arrest of three active police officers (B.M., S.S., and P.P.) on charges of aiding a perpetrator after the fact and failing to report a crime, alongside a restaurant waiter who shared the same initials as one of the gunmen.
A Powerful Insider Who Knows Too Much
Whether the arrested former police chief will cooperate with prosecutors remains a critical vulnerability for the state. As the longtime head of Belgrade’s police force, Milić possesses intimate knowledge of the nexus between politics and the underworld.
The friction is further complicated by internal police rivalries. Following a reshuffle, only two police officials—Marko Kričak (then head of the Internal Protection Unit) and Radoslav Repac (Belgrade Brigade Commander)—consistently executed the ruling party’s most controversial directives. Both were subsequently promoted, with Kričak rising to head the national UKP and Repac taking command of the elite Gendarmerie (Žandarmerija). Notably, after Milić was reinstated as Belgrade’s police chief, he removed Kričak from a senior local post—a slight that Kričak, now operating as Milić’s superior at the national level, likely used to fuel the current arrest.
Echoes of Savamala and a New Underworld War
This is not the first time Veselin Milić has been implicated in high-level cover-ups. The Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office previously faced criticism for failing to investigate Milić’s role in the infamous 2016 Savamala demolitions.
Goran Stamenković, the only police officer ever convicted in the Savamala case, previously testified under oath that he was pressured to take the fall by a ring of high-ranking officials. Stamenković explicitly named Veselin Milić, alongside former government ministers and security chiefs including Nikola Selaković, Dijana Hrkalović, Vladimir Rebić, Zvonko Kostić, Nemanja Stajić, Sonja Božović, and pro-government tabloid owner Aleksandar Papić.
Ultimately, the suspected elimination of Nešović raises a terrifying prospect for everyday citizens: Are these events the catalyst for a violent new turf war between organized crime syndicates? Historically, these lethal conflicts erupted following the SNS’s consolidation of absolute power in 2014, which coincided with sweeping, politically motivated purges within the Serbian police force.
