The recent death of Serbian journalist Stefan Cvetković—widely known for his dangerous investigative work into the assassination of Kosovo Serb politician Oliver Ivanović and his subsequent complaints of medical neglect while behind bars—has cast a harsh spotlight back on the case of Milan Vukašinović.
Vukašinović, a Kosovo Serb from Leposavić, has spent the last eight months in Serbian pre-trial detention in critical physical condition, paralyzed and with a bullet still lodged in his spine, following a highly shadowy cross-border operation.
The Ambush and Alleged Transnational Abduction
The case dates back to November 1, 2025, in the village of Jelašce near Leposavić in northern Kosovo. According to Vukašinović’s own testimony, he was driving to a scheduled meeting when his vehicle encountered a roadblock, and unidentified masked gunman immediately opened fire on him.
Despite sustaining multiple gunshot wounds to his back, Vukašinović managed to crawl out of the car.
THE NOVEMBER 2025 TIMELINE
Nov 1, 2025 Nov 6, 2025 July 2026
┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐
│ Ambushed │ ──────────────> │ Criminal │ ────────────> │ 8 Months │
│ & Shot in │ Transported │ Complaint │ Detained │ in Prison │
│ Leposavić │ to Serbia in │ Filed by │ Without │ Medical │
│ Village │ Secrecy │ Counsel │ Treatment │ Crisis │
└───────────┘ └───────────┘ └───────────┘
Following the shooting, the narrative diverges sharply from standard judicial protocol:
- The Abduction: Vukašinović’s family and defense attorney, Ivan Ninić, assert that the wounded man was bundled into an unbadged vehicle by masked, uniformed individuals suspected of being members of the Serbian Gendarmerie (Žandarmerija).
- The Disappearance: He was covertly transported into central Serbia without the knowledge of his relatives or local legal representatives, who spent five days completely blind to his physical location or legal status.
Legal Pushback and Accusations against “Milan R.”
Alarmed by the institutional silence, attorney Ivan Ninić bypassed the gridlocked local channels and filed a formal criminal complaint directly with the High Public Prosecutor’s Office in Prokuplje on behalf of the victim’s mother.
“Since nobody provided any official notice for five days regarding the armed assault on Milan Vukašinović, I filed a criminal complaint for attempted aggravated murder against unknown persons—specifically targeting members of the Serbian Armed Forces, the police, or the armed group managed by Milan R.” — Ivan Ninić, Defense Attorney (via social media)
The mention of “Milan R.” directly references paramilitary and criminal proxy networks operating in northern Kosovo, drawing unsettling parallels to the extrajudicial violence that has plagued the region since Ivanović’s 2018 assassination.
Systematic Neglect and Political Stagnation
Speaking to the independent Serbian outlet Nova.rs, the victim’s sister, Ivana Vukašinović, expressed absolute despair regarding the prospect of state accountability under the current political climate in Belgrade.
The family notes that despite eight months of continuous detention, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has failed to produce a single investigative finding, identify the shooters, or explain the legal basis for his cross-border extraction.
With Cvetković’s sudden death underscoring the lethal risks faced by those entangled in state-sanctioned detention systems, rights watchdogs are demanding that Vukašinović be immediately transferred to a specialized medical facility to treat his paralysis before his condition becomes irreversible.
