Russian intelligence accuses Serbia of 'betraying friendship'.
In a press release issued on June 23, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) stated that the Ukrainian army continues to receive weapons from Serbia, and accused Belgrade of betraying its historical friendship with Moscow.
According to RT, officially, Serbia has avoided supporting Kyiv in the conflict and has maintained its neutral stance.
However, according to the SVR, Serbian defense companies have been increasing their supply of ammunition to Ukraine. The agency claims this is being done through indirect export schemes designed to conceal the true destination of the weapons.
The SVR stated that Serbian-made ammunition is being exported as disassembled components to NATO countries, where they are fully assembled before being delivered to Ukraine. These components are reportedly being shipped primarily to the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, allowing Kyiv to officially receive finished weapons from NATO territory rather than directly from Serbia.
According to Russian intelligence, Serbian arms manufacturers are fully aware that their products will eventually reach the Ukrainian army and that their ammunition "will kill Russian servicemen and civilians."
"It is regrettable that these traditions of friendship and mutual assistance are now being erased by the thirst for profit and cowardly multilateralism," the SVR concluded.
Following this information, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on June 23 that Belgrade had suspended the export of ammunition and that from now on, special permits would be required for such shipments.
"We have now literally stopped everything and are transferring it to our military," he said.
This accusation follows a similar statement by the SVR in late May, in which the agency alleged that Serbian companies had secretly transported 100,000 rockets and 1 million small arms rounds to Ukraine. These weapons were allegedly transferred through various countries using forged end-user certificates.
At the time, Vucic responded by denying the existence of any direct contracts with Kyiv, emphasizing that Serbian law prohibits supplying weapons to countries at war. He asserted that any such weapons reaching Ukraine would inevitably have to pass through third countries, and pledged to crack down on attempts to circumvent export control laws.
Moscow has consistently criticized foreign military aid to Ukraine, arguing that it only prolongs the conflict and leads to more bloodshed without affecting the ultimate outcome.
