A major international scandal has erupted following a botched clandestine mission dubbed “Operation Tivat.” On June 3, 2026, an Air Serbia charter flight from Belgrade landed in Tivat carrying a highly dubious passenger manifest.
Montenegrin security forces intercepted and immediately deported a combined team of active Serbian police officers, retired special forces veterans, and high-profile criminal figures carrying specialized field equipment.
Intelligence analysts and former state security officials view the failed operation as a dangerous hybrid deployment by Belgrade. Coming just ahead of a critical high-level European Union summit in Montenegro, the incident has triggered international alarm and severely undermined Serbia’s regional standing.
1. The Anatomy of “Operation Tivat”
Security experts indicate that the operation fits an ongoing pattern where the ruling establishment in Belgrade relies on non-state actors, soccer hooligans, and compromised police cells to conduct sensitive cross-border political assignments.
The "Operation Tivat" Deployment Blueprint
[ SPONSORSHIP & LOGISTICS ] ──► Charter flight via Happy Travel (Bijeljina)
│
▼
[ THE HYBRID OPERATIONAL TEAM ] ────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
▼ ▼
[ STATE & SECURITY ELEMENTS ] [ UNDERWORLD & MILITANT CELLS ]
• Slobodan Vidaković "Vidak" (Ex-JSO/SAJ) • Jovan Kecman "Coja" (Convicted of At. Murder)
• Nemanja Narac (Active Zemun MUP Officer) • Bojan Mihajlović (MMA Fighter / Operative)
• Saša Lazić (Ex-Gendamerie / SNS Coordinator) • Nightclub security & hooligan syndicates
│ │
└───────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
[ THE INTENDED TARGET ] ──► Sabotaging / overshadowing the EU Summit
and derailing Montenegro's EU integration path.
The logistics were traced to the Happy Travel tourist agency from Bijeljina—a firm heavily tied to Vladimir Mandić, a prominent ruling party operative known for managing aggressive street actions. The passenger pool blended veteran mercenaries from the dissolved Special Operations Unit (JSO) with active municipal law enforcement and convicted violent felons.
2. Domestic Architecture: The Rise of BIA’s 9th Directorate
According to security insider Zoran Stijović, who previously worked on uncovering state-sponsored political assassinations, this blueprint mirrors institutional shifts initiated under former intelligence chief Aleksandar Vulin.
Vulin systematically constructed the 9th Directorate of the Security-Information Agency (BIA) specifically for aggressive, covert physical actions—drawing inspiration from Belarus’s KGB tactics.
The Kinetic Evolution of Serbian State Security
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ [ THE COMMAND CORE: PREDRAG MAĆEŠIĆ ] │
│ • Former JSO paramilitary veteran remains the operational chief of │
│ BIA's 9th Directorate for kinetic field deployments. │
│ │
│ [ SYSTEMIC HYBRIDIZATION ] │
│ • Integration of underground sports syndicates, private security, │
│ and active police to carry out state-directed street violence. │
│ │
│ [ RECENT DOMESTIC RUNS ] │
│ • October 2024: Abducting protesting farmers via unmarked vans. │
│ • March 2025: Deploying armed private security to fortify Belgrade's │
│ Old Palace against anti-regime demonstrators. │
│ │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
3. Geopolitical Backlash and Strategic Fallout
The operational failure exposes a deeper, more worrying geopolitical motivation. Sources within the security sector suggest that President Aleksandar Vučić’s inner circle launched the operation to satisfy foreign creditors—primarily Moscow—who desperately wanted a hybrid distraction to cast a shadow over Montenegro’s final steps toward EU membership.
| Security Failure Element | Immediate Field Impact | Long-Term Diplomatic & Strategic Fallout |
| Montenegrin Interception | Seamless deportation of the entire Belgrade cell upon arrival. | Montenegro passes a crucial maturity test for EU Chapters 23 and 24 by demonstrating total situational control. |
| BIA Intelligence Failure | Publicly blamed on the “Kavač Clan” threat via irregular public letters. | Exposes heavy state complicity. Leaked SKY ECC transcripts reveal deep historical synchronization between BIA structures and regional drug cartels. |
| Vinci Airport Protocol | Inexplicable failure to screen tactical gear at Belgrade’s airport. | Triggers European counter-intelligence alarms. French and EU monitoring bodies are now demanding an audit of Belgrade’s aviation infrastructure security. |
“There are serious questions Serbia will have to answer. Who organized this flight financially and logistically? Where did these men get the gear found on them? Was the goal the destabilization of Montenegro, or a hybrid action?”
— Zoran Stijović, Former State Security Official
Rather than halting Montenegro’s Western integration, “Operation Tivat” backfired completely. It has left the Belgrade regime facing heightened scrutiny from Western intelligence agencies, compounding its isolation as its international reputation continues to crumble.
