The Higher Court in Belgrade has sentenced a Serbian citizen identified as Miloš N. to six months of house arrest for participating in the war in Ukraine on behalf of the Russian Federation, Radio Free Europe (RFE) reported on September 24.
The ruling is the 35th final conviction in Serbia for participating in a war in a foreign country, a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in prison under Serbian law.
According to the indictment by the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade, Miloš N. fought in Ukraine as a member of a Russian military formation between September 2024 and November 2025.
Prosecutors said he traveled independently to Moscow, where he signed a one-year contract with Russia’s Ministry of Defense. Under the contract, he received approximately 13,318 Russian rubles, or around €140, for his participation in the war.
He subsequently underwent tactical training and received a uniform, insignia and firearm before being deployed to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region as part of the Russian military’s 429th Motor Rifle Regiment.
The indictment states that he received and carried out orders from his commanding officers. It also says he was wounded in the forearm on one occasion as a result of Ukrainian drone activity. Before returning to Moscow, he surrendered his uniform, insignia and firearm.
The prosecution requested six months of house arrest with electronic monitoring, a sentence the Higher Court imposed in a ruling issued on September 10.
The court said the defendant had been warned that violating the restrictions could result in the remainder of his sentence being served in prison.
Serbian citizens among foreign fighters in Russia’s forces
The latest case brings the number of final Serbian convictions for participation in foreign wars to 35. RFE noted that it is not known which side all those convicted fought for, although publicly reported cases have largely involved Serbian citizens who fought alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.
Serbian state institutions have not published official figures on the number of Serbian citizens who have participated in the war in Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
According to available information cited by RFE, convictions related to fighting on the Ukrainian front have generally resulted in suspended sentences ranging from six months to three years.
U.S. researcher Harry Stevens, who specializes in Russian foreign and defense policy, told RFE that Serbian citizens remain among the more prominent groups of foreign volunteers serving in the Russian military.
Stevens estimated that at least 1,000 Serbian citizens may have served in the Russian military since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, while acknowledging that the actual number could be considerably higher.
He identified financial incentives and right-wing ideological affiliation as two factors that may attract Serbian volunteers to Russian military service, while noting that it is difficult to determine the relative importance of those motivations.
The “Shturm Ossetia” unit
According to publicly available information cited by RFE, “Shturm Ossetia” is not a separate regiment but a volunteer assault formation composed largely of volunteers from North Ossetia-Alania and operating within Russia’s 429th Motor Rifle Regiment.
The unit has been deployed on the Zaporizhzhia front and has been associated with fighting around Lobkove, Pyatykhatky and the Vasylivka area.
The case highlights Serbia’s legal prohibition on its citizens participating in armed conflicts abroad, while also underscoring the continued presence of Serbian nationals among foreign volunteers serving with Russian forces in Ukraine.
