Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s announcement yesterday that Serbia has suspended all ammunition exports, including to Israel, and that all current deliveries are exclusively for the Serbian Army, has sparked significant reactions in regional media.
“We are not exporting anything. Everything has been stopped. Special decisions are needed if anything is to be exported again,” Vučić stated after a session of the Serbian Army General Staff.
This decision came just hours after Russia sharply criticized Serbia for allegedly exporting weapons to Ukraine. As previously reported by Danas, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed that the Ukrainian military was “very grateful” to Serbian arms and ammunition manufacturers for their contribution to maintaining Ukrainian combat readiness.
Russia’s Allegations and Serbia’s Response
The SVR alleged that ammunition produced in Serbian defense factories, primarily for heavy, long-range systems, was being sent to NATO countries for Ukraine’s benefit in the form of complete assembly kits. “This allows Kyiv to formally receive military products that are no longer Serbian, but are assembled in the arms factories of Western countries. The assembly and loading of ammunition is carried out primarily in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria,” the SVR statement read. It further controversially claimed, “At the same time, manufacturers in Serbia are well aware of the real consumers of their products and the fact that their missiles and shells will kill Russian military personnel and residents of Russian settlements.”
Regional Media Interpretations
Regional media outlets have been quick to cover Serbia’s arms export suspension:
- Slobodna Bosna ran with the headline: “VUČIĆ JUSTIFIES HIMSELF TO RUSSIANS: ‘We are not exporting anything, everything has been stopped!'” The Bosnian portal reported that the Serbian Ministry of Defense confirmed the halt of arms and military equipment exports, stating that future exports would require the approval of the National Security Council.
- Croatian news agency Hina, carried by Index.hr, headlined: “Serbia Under Pressure from Moscow: Ammunition Exports Halted, Zakharova Demands Truth.” Index noted that the Serbian Ministry of Defense’s announcement followed the SVR’s report that two Serbian firms had sold rockets and mortar shells or their components, which were then exported to Ukraine via Czech and Bulgarian companies. This marks the second such accusation from the SVR since May 29.
- Croatia’s Jutarnji list also cited the Hina report, publishing: “Pressures from Moscow Bear Fruit? Serbia Stops Arms Exports, Vučić Says ‘Scolding’ from Russia Not the Reason.” The article highlighted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s statement that Moscow expects clearer answers from Belgrade regarding arms exports ending up in Ukraine. “I hear so many contradictory things about this from official Serbian representatives that I want some clarity: did it happen or not,” Zakharova wrote on Telegram, as reported by Jutarnji.
The regional coverage largely interprets Serbia’s decision as a response to pressure from Moscow, despite Vučić’s implied denials.
