Serbia, loyal to Moscow, is said to have sold missiles to Kiev. Belgrade denies this, but Serbian missiles frequently appear in war zones.
After Serbia’s foreign and defense ministers, President Aleksandar Vučić felt compelled to make long-winded denials over the weekend. “We don’t sell arms or ammunition either to Russia or Ukraine”, he assured on the sidelines of his state visit to Qatar: “We are as clean as a tear.”
The EU candidate is considered one of Russia’s most loyal allies in Europe. Despite heavy pressure from Brussels, Serbia still refuses to accept EU sanctions against Russia, referring to the “special relationship” with its sister state. In late February, however, a report by the Russian pro-government news portal mash.ru caused an uproar that 3,500 M21 rockets manufactured by Serbian state arms maker Krušik had been delivered to Ukraine via Turkey and Slovakia. “Ukrainian Armed Forces Are Using Missile Launches From Serbia To Attack Russia,” read the portal’s outraged headline.