Serbia temporarily stops all ammunition exports
(MENAFN) Serbia has temporarily suspended all exports of ammunition to prioritize replenishing its own military reserves, President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Monday. This decision follows Russian allegations that Serbia has been secretly supplying arms to Ukraine.
Vucic made the announcement after a meeting with the extended board of Serbia’s General Staff, telling local media that the country has “now stopped literally everything and [is] sending it to our army.”
While Serbia aims to explore new markets for its military products, Vucic emphasized he does not want to jeopardize the livelihoods of about 150,000 people connected to military manufacturing plants. At the same time, the government will implement stricter export controls, requiring special approval for any future shipments abroad.
“It will no longer be the case that permission is given by two ministers and the goods flow smoothly. We’ll see what will happen in the future in accordance with the interests of Serbia,” Vucic said.
The announcement came in the wake of accusations from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), which claimed that Serbia had covertly sent ammunition to Ukraine, despite Serbia maintaining a stance of neutrality and historically close ties with Moscow.
According to the SVR, Serbian-made ammunition—especially for heavy long-range weapons—is being shipped to NATO countries on behalf of Ukraine under the guise of fully assembled kits. This practice, the SVR alleges, allows Ukraine to receive arms that are no longer officially Serbian but produced in Western defense factories.
Similar claims were made in late May, when the SVR accused Serbian firms of secretly supplying roughly 100,000 munitions for rocket launchers and one million small arms rounds to Ukraine. These shipments were reportedly routed through multiple countries with falsified end-user certificates.
Vucic denied any direct arms deals with Kyiv, pointing out that Serbian law prohibits arms sales to countries at war. He blamed third parties for potentially diverting shipments to Ukraine and vowed to crack down on any efforts to bypass Serbia’s export regulations.
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