Zdravko Ponoš Slams Vučić and His Inner Circle: “Only He Participated in the War”

Zdravko Ponoš, MP and president of the Serbia Center (SRCE) party, delivered a scathing public response to Miloš Vučević, SNS leader and presidential adviser, after Vučević suggested that Ponoš should “show heroism in the Republika Srpska Krajina, not on Twitter.”

Ponoš, also the former Chief of the General Staff of Serbia, did not hold back in his post on the X network, accusing Vučević and the president’s inner circle of hypocrisy, cowardice, and political opportunism.

He wrote:

“Here, Miloš Vučević steps forward to defend the boss from me. He wasn’t pathetic—no, you overestimated yourself even during Christmas Eve. You never lost your mind after being titled the most unsuccessful prime minister in Serbian history. You floundered at the bar, struggled at university, and barely managed to finish high school. Dad always held your hand.”

Ponoš then addressed Vučić’s repeated glorification of military matters, challenging him directly about his own wartime experience:

“Since you like military themes, you must have made a name for yourself in the 1999 war as a 25-year-old, right? Were you the one shot by enemy soldiers, or the one who was raped? Don’t get immediately fired up—it’s a joke, but I guess you heard it in your sheltered world.”

The SRCE leader did not spare Vučić’s associates, questioning their patriotism and courage during the Kosovo conflict:

“Is there anyone in that team of yours who actually wore a uniform with his generation when the war was going on? Vučić is the only one who personally participated in the war and smelled gunpowder. Everyone else carried umbrellas for Seselj. Even today, he is the most combative—but instead of carrying an umbrella, he now wears expensive sneakers. And they are not for mud.”

Evo javio se i Miloš Vučević da brani šefa od mene.
Jadan ne bio, ti si se precenio i kad si se badnjaka prihvatio.

Nisi se opametio nakon što si poneo titulu najneuspešnijeg premijera u istoriji Srbije. Sve tako. Mrljavio si u advokaturi, mučio se na fakultetu, jedva ti našli… pic.twitter.com/sW6PuGaTTR

— Здравко Понош (@ZdravkoPonos) January 6, 2026

Ponoš’s post paints a portrait of Vučić and his inner circle as untested, sheltered, and disconnected from the sacrifices of ordinary soldiers, casting doubt on the legitimacy of their military and political claims. By contrasting himself as a veteran of the General Staff with Vučić’s purported performance, Ponoš escalates the rhetoric into a direct challenge of credibility and integrity within the Serbian political elite.

This confrontation highlights the growing public tensions between former military officials turned politicians and the current regime, signaling that Vučić’s leadership may face increasing scrutiny not just for policy failures, but for the perceived lack of personal courage and accountability during one of the most defining conflicts in recent Serbian history.