In a press release released on June 23, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said that the Ukrainian army continues to receive weapons produced in Serbia. According to the SVR, this is the result of "indirect export charts" designed to conceal the true destination of these weapons.
The SVR said that Serbia's ammunition was packaged as components and then exported to NATO countries such as the Czech Republic and Bulgaria for complete assembly before being sent to Ukraine. This method allowed Kiev to receive weapons from the " NATO territory" rather than directly from Belgrade.
The SVR accused Serbian arms makers of knowing their products would be used by the Ukrainian military, which would mean "killing Russian soldiers and civilians".
All traditions of friendship and mutual support are being erased by greed for profit, the statement emphasized.
Under pressure from Moscow and international public opinion, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on the same day that Belgrade had temporarily suspended all ammunition exports, and that any future shipments would require special licenses.
We have completely stopped, and now only keep it to serve the Serbian army, Vucic said.
The accusation follows a similar statement made by the SVR in late May, saying Serbian companies had secretly transported 100,000 rockets and 1 million bulletins to Ukraine via third countries, using fake end-userness certificates.
At the time, Mr. Vucic denied that Serbia had any direct contracts with Ukraine, and affirmed that the country's law prohibits the export of weapons to warring countries. However, he acknowledged the possibility of Serbia's weapons being diverted and pledged to tighten control.
Russia has long strongly criticized Western military aid to Ukraine, saying it would only prolong the conflict and cause more blood, but could not change the final outcome of the conflict.
