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Officially, Serbia did not deliver any rockets to Ukraine, and the rest is “not their concern”

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Szerbia, rakéták / Serbia did not deliver rockets and missiles to Ukraine
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Olvasási idő: 9 perc

In the rocket case, Serbia continues to deny it. Both the Serbian foreign minister and the defense ministry leader claim that Serbia did not officially supply rockets to Ukraine. Ivica Dačić, the Serbian foreign minister, stated that since the beginning of the Ukrainian war, Serbia has not exported or granted permission for the export of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine, Russia, or any country that may be considered “problematic” from an international standpoint. However, during the recent weapons transport scandal, no one claimed that there was direct export to Ukraine, and that permission was granted for this purpose. We are trying to outline how the deal went, about which probably none of the participants knew all the details.

Mostly enjoyed the cabbage

In 2018, the spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, was a featured guest at the Guča brass band festival in the company of Ivica Dačić, and she did not conceal how happy she was to “relax” in Serbia. 

Ivica Dačić was pleased to host the spokesperson, who, while listening to the brass bands, tried Serbian food specialties, with the meaty cabbage being her favorite.

Rakéták, táncoskedvű Zaharova

Zaharova in good mood (Forrás: Blic)

Zaharova had so much fun that she even danced at least once.

However, this week, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson did not have the “urge to dance,” but rather to “give advice,” stating that Moscow expects an official explanation regarding the Serbian rockets sent to Ukraine.

As the Serbian foreign minister, Ivica Dačić was one of the officials responsible and, due to his acquaintance with Zakharova, may have felt it was his duty to respond, as they had “brassed” together in Guča five years ago.

Officially denied

Dačić also responded to the Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, in which he did reject the responsibility of the Serbian state but did not completely dispel the suspicion that some involvement by a Serbian arms dealer was possible.

During a Belgrade conference held by Serbian diplomats in recent days, Dačić stated that Serbia has not exported or given permission to export weapons or military equipment to Ukraine, Russia, or any country considered problematic from an international perspective, since the beginning of the Ukrainian conflict.

He suggested that if someone has information about this matter, then it is him because his ministry is involved in issuing export licenses.

However, Dačić added that he is talking about legal institutions that have export rights.

Rakéták, kiviteli engedéy

The signatory of the export permit (Screenshot)

The Serbian foreign minister is telling the truth, but the issue is not that simple, as the traces have been successfully erased, and it is uncertain whether the Belgrade government was aware of what was actually happening.

Recently, the Russian Mash news portal published a “confidential” Serbian export license issued on October 21, 2022, in Belgrade. However, the license was not issued by the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs but by the Ministry of Trade, Tourism, and Telecommunications, on behalf of the signatory, State Secretary Stevan Nikčević.

Presidential confirmation


On the day after this article was published, the Serbian president also confirmed that Serbia did not sell any weapons or ammunition to Ukraine or Russia, emphasizing this point with the Serbian saying “we are as clear as a tear drop.”

-We did not sell any weapons, (military) equipment or ammunition to Russia or Ukraine. We have sufficient “end-users,” and we export only to them

said Aleksandar Vučić, who was in Qatar at the time. He did not, of course, comment on Serbian private companies dealing in arms trade. Regarding the relationship with Turkey, he stated that there is an obligation with regard to the deals made with Turkey, that the weapons supplied to them cannot be forwarded without Serbia’s consent.


However, this document did not authorize the export of Serbian rockets to Ukraine, and everyone involved seemed to be quite cunning.

Yet, there may be some manipulation even within the document itself, as the Turkish company Arca, previously defined as the end-user, is listed with a Turkish name as an intermediary, while the Turkish Defense Industry Agency is named as the end-user, which is probably a translation of Arca into Serbian, written in Cyrillic letters.

So, Arca likely acted as an intermediary for itself, but it is hard to believe that the signatory did not notice or know this.

The Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs is certainly right in that the end user is not listed as Ukraine or Russia, but rather as a semi- Turkish state company, and the permit was not issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Based on these facts, it is also true that the Serbian state did not supply weapons to either Ukraine or Russia, and there are no permits/evidence to support that – someone else did it instead.

Earlier, the Serbian Defense Minister, Miloš Vučević, said in the Skupština (parliament) that Serbia does not export military equipment and weapons anywhere where it is not allowed, but added that “it is not Serbia’s responsibility to determine whether private companies are buying and selling Serbian weapons to other countries’ traders on third markets.”

Who was the proxy supplier?

If we interpret the above sentence, we can conclude that it might be about a company that is not under state supervision, but collaborates with a state-owned weapons factory. In this case, a privately owned weapons trader may be considered, whose company no longer acts on behalf of the Serbian state.

The “Western-oriented” Serbian opposition press suspects Slobodan Tesic, a Serbian arms dealer, and not without reason.

If we take a closer look at the export license, it states that the goods owner is not the Serbian state, nor the Serbian state-owned Krušik company, but Sofag doo (limited liability company), which according to Belgrade media reports, is owned by Slobodan Tesic’s daughter.

Presumably, Krušik sold or handed over the weapons to Sofag, or Sofag took over the shipment in its name, which landed in Turkey, where, according to Serbian ministerial approval, it could only be used for military purposes.

Therefore, the Serbian state is clean in terms of formalities, the exported weapons/rockets did not belong to Serbia, nor were they sold by Serbia or Serbian state-owned arms trading companies. According to the documents, Serbia did not supply weapons to either Ukraine or Russia, so the ministers were telling the truth, as we have already mentioned, or as stated in Belgrade, it is not Serbia’s concern what private companies engaged in arms trading do.

Of course, the question may arise whether the Serbs knew what purpose the designated Turkish end-user (& intermediary) wanted to purchase the rockets for and what they intended to use them for. They were certainly not naive.

It is possible that they had no idea what the path of the rockets would be, although due to the proximity of the Ukrainian war, they may have had “some idea”.

Why did it become an issue?

Just one week after the anniversary of the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kremlin-backed media reported that Serbia was allegedly selling weapons to the Ukrainian army.

The Mash (mash.ru) Russian portal recently posted a brief report without specifying its source, and the attached video featured unverified documents, claiming that Krušik, a Serbian defense industry company, had sold 3,500 artillery shells to the Ukrainian defense ministry.

Although the authenticity of the published documents could not be verified, no one from either the Russian or Serbian side disputed their authenticity. If we follow the events step by step, it becomes clear that a Canadian, Slovak, American, and Turkish company participated in this complicated arms delivery case.

Only Krušik protested, claiming that the “foamy story” in the media was incomplete and based on irrelevant information, which was extremely maliciously tried to…

Only Krušik protested, stating that the media’s “inflated story” is incomplete and based on unrelated information, which maliciously attempts to place the Serbian company in a negative context. 

Krušik adds that there are contradictions in the published documents, including the alleged order of weapon sales and the names used. Regarding the latter, they note that the presented papers feature two names, M-21 GRAD and GRAD-200, with the latter being the label they use for the missiles they produce, but as they are not weapons experts, they will not go into that. 

“Since the beginning of the Ukrainian conflict, we have not entered into any contract for a missile or mine where the end-user has become a party to the conflict,” said the company in southern Serbia, which nonetheless did not claim that the documents were false. 

– Since the beginning of the Ukrainian conflict, we have not entered into any contract for a missile or mine where the end-user has become a party to the conflict

said the company in southern Serbia, which nonetheless did not claim that the documents were false. 

According to the export permit, the end-user in question is not Ukraine, nor does a Ukrainian company appear in it, but rather Turkish Arca, which then passed on the rockets without involving Ukrainian companies. 

Meanwhile, the BBC has determined that the workers seen in the video wear work clothes with the logo of Turkish company “S Sistem Logistics Services Co,” which has several warehouses in Turkey, including at the Istanbul airport, but according to its website, it has no location in Bratislava, so Mash’s claim that the footage was shot in Bratislava can be questionable, but if we let our imagination go, we would not necessarily rule it out.

Rakéta

However, if we take a closer look at the Turkish shipping document, the recipient listed is Slovak MSM Novaky, whose role is not overly clear, as the Ukrainian Defense Ministry names itself as the end-user in the document it issued, along with exporter Arca and supplier American company Global Ordnance Trading, owned by Marc Morales, whose “thoughts, prayers, and ammunition” are with Ukraine, specifically with General Valery Zaluzhny. 

If we try to close the loop, we find that an American company bought Serbian weapons for the Ukrainians with some intermediate stops, which would not be unique since the Americans also bought Serbian weapons for the Iraqi army during the Iraq War.

What is Mash?

According to the BBC, Mash, the Russian news portal that exposed the arms shipment, is operated by News Media, the majority owner of which is Kremlin-affiliated Aram Gabrelyanov.

Rakéták, mash

Mash is one of the Russian portals that glorify the Ukrainian invasion in the Russian media and on social media, such as Twitter.

In recent years, Gabrelyanov has been involved in managing various media channels whose work has been financed by the Russian state budget.

Last November (2022), together with two other journalists, they received a 450,000 euro grant from Russian President Vladimir Putin to launch new media projects in the separatist regions of Ukraine, namely the Donetsk and Luhansk “states”, which have since reportedly joined Russia.

 

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BALK könyvek Balkán

English

The center-left opposition would bring Serbia into the EU by 2030, but would not recognize Kosovo

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Balközép / center-left
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The center-left opposition party, the Freedom and Justice Party (Stranka slobode i pravde, SSP), has adopted a statement declaring their commitment to bringing Serbia into the European Union by 2030. The party leader, Dragan Đilas, stated during the party’s main committee meeting that they consider this not only a goal, but a “political mission” towards future generations, and emphasized that only they can guarantee this for Serbia. However, in an interview with N1 TV, he also stated that they would not recognize Kosovo’s independence nor support its UN membership.

Are they on a political mission(?)

Đilas expressed that his party sees Serbia’s accession to the European Union not only as a goal, but as a “political mission” during the SSP’s main committee meeting.

-We can do it! Serbia in the EU by 2030! We will achieve this goal together with the citizens of Serbia

declared the leader of the Serbian opposition party. He believes that Serbia has never been farther away from Europe than it is today, and it is therefore necessary to “reverse course” towards Europe.

Đilas indicated that his party would like to fully align Serbia’s foreign policy objectives with those of the European Union, which would also mean imposing sanctions on Russia.

– The Freedom and Justice Party remains a meeting point for all democratic, progressive, and responsible political actors in the country

said Đilas, who accused the government of impoverishing the country’s population.

– A bad government doesn’t want a people that lives in prosperity, but rather a people that hopes to one day become prosperous because hope is all a bad government can offer in the absence of a well-functioning society

declared Đilas, who believes that injustice has become an institutionalized category in Serbia.

Will Kosovo be recognized or not

Before Serbia can join the European Union, it must close all accession chapters with the EU, which would include the adoption of Chapter 35. This chapter includes the resolution of relations between Serbia and Kosovo, and as stated by Josep Borrell, the High 

Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, it will incorporate the European (French- German) proposal accepted verbally by the Serbian President and its implementation annex.

Balközép

Dragan nyilatkozik az N1 televíziónak (Forrás: Screenshot, N1)

For Serbia, the fourth point of the EU proposal is the most critical, which states that Serbia commits to not obstructing Kosovo’s membership in international organizations, including the UN.

This issue also divides the leaders of the Freedom and Justice Party.

Dragan Đilas reminded that they rejected the European (French- German) proposal regarding Kosovo, which they considered unfavorable. However, it has been proven that its adoption has already occurred with the verbal consent of the Serbian President.

The opposition leader suggested that a method of implementation must be devised that does not compromise Serbian interests.

– I believe that no one from Serbia can or should recognize Kosovo as an independent state, and no one from Serbia should raise their hand in favor of Kosovo’s admission to the UN

said the opposition leader in a statement to the N1 television channel, although his deputy took a different stance on the matter.

– The European proposal is an integral part of Chapter 35 and therefore the accession negotiations, and whoever is in power must comply with it, there is no doubt about that

said Marinika Tepić, vice president of the Freedom and Justice Party, known for her combative opposition stance in the Serbian opposition scene, in a statement to N1 television.

balközép

Marinika Tepić nyilatkozik az N1 televíziónak (Forrás: Screenshot, N1)

The differing views may also stem from Tepić’s Romanian family roots from Pančevo, making it difficult for her to empathize with the Serbian people’s “ancient pain” regarding Kosovo.

However, Đilas is not a “true-born” Serbian himself, as his father is from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and his mother is from Croatia, having been resettled in Szilberek (Bački Brestovac) in Vojvodina after World War II.

Tough times for the center-left

These are difficult times for the left-wing in the Balkans. At the main committee meeting, Đilas said that his party is going through a “very difficult period” since last year’s elections, and pointed out that they must keep going in tough times, or it would mean failure.

Two years ago, the Serbian pro-government media ≈ propaganda machine reported that Đilas had foreign bank accounts, primarily in Mauritius.


Tal Hanan and Team Jorge

balközép

According to a report by the British Guardian, Tal Hanan participated in disinformation campaigns in several countries to manipulate elections.

The man, a former Israeli special forces operative, allegedly interfered in about 33 presidential-level elections worldwide with the help of the “Team Jorge” led by him and his brother Zohar.

The disinformation unit known as “Jorge Team” is capable of directing a huge army of thirty thousand fake profiles, or avatars, using the “Aims” software on Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, Instagram, Amazon, and Airbnb.

BALK recently reported on a Meta study which revealed that thousands of fake profiles were discovered on Facebook and Instagram, creating the illusion of popularity for Serbian President and the Serbian Progressive Party.


The news was reported by the very friendly news portal Večernje Novosti, which claimed that the opposition leader has €6.4 million stored in various Mauritius and Swiss bank accounts.

The main “warrior” of the campaign against Đilas was Siniša Mali, the Serbian Minister of Finance, who displayed documents on several friendly TV channels and urged an investigation against Đilas, who was suspected of money laundering.

The Serbian Minister of Finance accused the opposition leader of stealing the mentioned amount from the state, thus harming the people.

The case has since been settled, but the Serbian President still frequently refers to the fact that he does not have foreign bank accounts like some in the opposition.

The Serbian investigative news portal KRIK has now uncovered that the story of foreign bank accounts was invented by Israeli Tal Hanan, who produces fake news on demand to discredit his clients’ competitors during election campaigns.

In the case of Serbia, this was Dragan Đilas, who filed a criminal complaint against Aleksandar Vučić, the President, Siniša Mali, the Minister of Finance, and Večernje Novosti, but the Belgrade government prevented the case from being launched as the prosecution rejected the complaint, stating that no crime had been committed.

However, no proceedings were initiated against the accusations made against Đilas, so the media only reported on the secret accounts, which was enough to discredit the opposition leader and undermine his party in the eyes of voters.

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