Tightening the noose, Serbia recently officially told Moscow to stop its recruitment efforts. According to some sources, Russia has issued an invitation to the Serbs to join the Russian armed forces as soldiers.
According to reports, the Wagner Group, which is said to have direct ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, may be behind the recruitment. However, Serbia has long had a law prohibiting its citizens from participating in armed conflicts abroad. Referring to the incident, Serbian Defense Minister Miloš Vučević recently reiterated that what happened “will have legal consequences”.
“Why are you recruiting, Wagner, when you know it’s once morest our laws?” – asked Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stressed in a television broadcast that Wagner must stop its activities immediately.
He also drew attention to the noticeable expansion of the Russian media in the country. For example, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti published a video just this week in which “Serbian volunteers” fighting on the side of the Russian forces.
Reportedly, Serbian volunteers who are being trained in Zaporizhzhia as part of a Russian volunteer battalion.https://t.co/5BZBPAAOfZ pic.twitter.com/veoZ6fWqcb
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) January 17, 2023
Serbia would have a reason for it, but not everything is black or white
According to some opinions, Wagner chose Serbia because large-scale pro-Russian demonstrations were held in local cities in response to the events in Ukraine. The population of the two countries is also predominantly Orthodox Christian, which may also unite the population in their Slavic culture. Despite the fact that the majority of Serbs are pro-Russian, Vučić admitted this week that the “Union path” is the only solution for Serbia, but expressed his support for Russia to regain the Crimean peninsula. By the way, Serbia, together with Russia, despises NATO, in view of the war that resulted in the independence of the Albanian-majority Kosovo from Serbia, which was also recognized by the USA.
However, according to some reports, the recruitment notice in question dates back to the time when Russia was not at war with any country. The invitation was also published on the old website of the state embassy, but the link is no longer available.
