Serbia announced Thursday that it will suspend any weapons contracts if it is determined that the arms could ultimately be sent to Ukraine.
President Aleksandar Vučić said he discussed the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month and that a working group has been established to investigate the end destinations of Serbian arms exports. Vučić stated that he would order the cancellation of contracts if it became known that the final recipients were parties involved in active conflicts.
However, Vučić denied allegations made by Russia earlier in the day accusing Serbian weapons manufacturers of covertly supplying Ukraine with arms. On Wednesday, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) publicly accused Serbia of using falsified documentation and third-party intermediaries to deliver artillery shells, rockets, and small arms ammunition to Ukraine—actions that would undermine Serbia's declared neutrality in the conflict.
“According to information received by the SVR, Serbian defense firms continue to supply ammunition to Kiev in violation of the ‘neutrality’ declared by Belgrade,” the SVR said in a statement posted on its official website.
The SVR alleged that the arms were being funneled through NATO member states including the Czech Republic, Poland, and Bulgaria before reaching Ukraine.
While Serbia and Russia maintain long-standing ties rooted in their shared Slavic and Orthodox heritage, suspicions regarding Serbian arms shipments to Ukraine have circulated since 2022. Russian-linked Telegram channels have previously published photos of Serbian-made weapons allegedly captured on the battlefield in Ukraine.
The SVR’s public accusation coming as this time may raise some questions as Russian intelligence would likely have been aware of such shipments for some time before choosing to go public.
In June 2024, Vučić responded to a Financial Times report alleging that the Serbian government allowed $909 million in arms and ammunition exports to Western countries—many of which later sent them to Ukraine. At the time, Vučić confirmed the figure was “broadly accurate,” but dismissed concerns over the weapons' final destination, stating that “worrying about where the arms ended up wasn’t part of his job.”