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Belgrade has abruptly suspended all military exports following a thinly veiled warning from Moscow over Serbian weapons indirectly reaching Ukrainian forces through NATO intermediaries. The move has sparked internal backlash, with workers at Serbia’s defense plants threatening protests over lost contracts, while Russia remains skeptical of Belgrade’s assurances.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced a complete halt to ammunition exports, redirecting all production to domestic military stockpiles. “Everything we produce now goes exclusively to our army’s needs,” he declared, adding that future sales would require approval from Serbia’s National Security Council. This is a sharp departure from previous practices where export permits were routinely issued by ministers.
The decision came just hours after Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) publicly accused Serbian arms firms of supplying ammunition components to Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, where they were assembled and shipped to Ukraine. The SVR noted that Serbian-made mortar rounds had been documented on Ukrainian battlefields since 2023. LINK
While Serbia claims ignorance of where its weapons ultimately end up, evidence suggests a well-established NATO-backed pipeline. Bulgarian and Czech factories have served as intermediaries, refurbishing Serbian components before shipping them to Ukraine. Similar schemes have been reported in Slovakia, where Prime Minister Robert Fico, despite blocking EU sanctions on Russia, allows private arms firms to supply Kyiv.
Adding to the hypocrisy, Slovakia has also facilitated Ukrainian fuel imports derived from Russian oil while profiting from transit fees on Russian gas shipments to Europe.
Though Vučić previously defended arms sales as vital for Serbia’s economy—employing 150,000 people in defense sectors—he now faces pressure from both Moscow and domestic industry. “They’re pushing me to send shipments because contracts are signed,” he admitted. “Some report to the Americans, others to the Russians—but no one thinks about Serbia.” The export ban has triggered unrest in Serbia’s defense sector, with workers at state-owned arms plants warning of July protests to demand a resumption of sales. The industry, a key economic lifeline, fears collapse without foreign buyers.
Meanwhile, SVR Director Sergei Naryshkin made it clear that Moscow would “verify” Serbia’s compliance rather than take promises at face value. The SVR’s statement lamented the erosion of historic Slavic and Orthodox solidarity, accusing Belgrade of prioritizing profit over principle.
Russia’s message is clear: arms sales to NATO intermediaries equate to indirect support for Ukraine. Whether Serbia’s export freeze holds, or collapses under domestic and Western pressure, will reveal just how far Belgrade is willing to go to preserve its relationship with Moscow.
