How Russia Used the Serbian Mercenary Card Amidst the Wagner Turmoil

In a time when intelligence information indicates that Russia is facing difficulties in finding more mercenaries to deploy in the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has recently succeeded in secretly recruiting new volunteers from the Balkans, a move that has previously angered Serbia, one of Europe’s closest allies.

Russia has intensified its covert operations in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, to recruit nearly 500 Balkan citizens for combat in Ukraine, according to Intelligence Online’s report published on August 22, 2023.

Several hundred new recruits from the Balkans are expected to arrive at a temporary camp outside the Russian capital by September 1, 2023.

 

‘Balkans Express’

Intelligence Online confirms that, in addition to around 50 Serbian fighters already recruited, it is expected that the unit’s total personnel will reach 500 fighters, who will be promptly deployed alongside Russian troops on the Ukrainian front.

A Serbian unit has been established to accommodate them within the 106th division of the Russian Airborne Forces, according to the magazine.

It’s worth noting that a network of Russian and Serbian quasi-military figures had been preparing for the operation, referred to as the Balkans Express, since May 2023.

The initiative for this support came from the governor of the Moscow Oblast, Andrey Vorobyov, with high-level backing from the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, the State Security Agency, and President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.

This support was provided to the Federal Security Service responsible for the recruitment of Serbs.

Between mid-July and mid-August 2023, 50 candidates were selected and transported to Russia on commercial flights in groups of two or three individuals disguised as contracted workers for a fictitious construction company.

Intelligence Online was able to obtain personal information for 13 of these recruits.

The local military commission oversees their recruitment contracts, which are signed with the military commission of the Korolyov municipality in the Moscow Oblast.

 

The Man Responsible

The one responsible for planning and logistical services for the project is known as Davor Savicic, who resides in Russia. He is a Serbian ethnic warlord from Bosnia and Herzegovina and is well-known in Russian mercenary circles.

Savicic was a member of the unofficial special forces under former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic. He fought alongside Russian Wagner mercenaries in Ukraine in 2014 and later in Syria after 2016.

The Wagner Group had established a unit for Serbian mercenaries in Syria, which was led by Davor Savicic.

He had previously been a member of the notorious Serb Volunteer Guard, also known as Arkan’s Tigers, infamous for its atrocities during the Balkan Wars in the early 1990s, crimes documented in the records of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

According to the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, within the ranks of the Wagner Group, there were at least two individuals known as “Volk” (Russian for “Wolf”). The name is attributed to the famous Serbian mercenary Davor Savicic, who led the intelligence unit within the group.

Russia suffered significant losses in its forces during the six months following its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. It heavily relied on the semi-official Russian Wagner mercenaries led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, 61, who was killed on August 22, 2023, when his plane crashed north of Moscow.

The dispute between Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Russian Ministry of Defense led to the withdrawal of a significant portion of Wagner Group fighters from Ukrainian frontlines since June 2023.

Prigozhin’s attempted rebellion at the end of that month quickly failed, resulting in the weakening of his forces.

This isn’t the first time Russia has relied on Serbian mercenaries in the war in Ukraine. They had recruited Serb fighters back in 2014, causing tension between Moscow and Belgrade at the time.

 

Official Serbian Resistance

With the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has once again expanded its pool of fighters and mercenaries from Serbia, anticipating a long-term conflict in the region.

Russia’s recent actions towards Serbia are not isolated incidents.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic openly stated on January 17, 2023, that Russia should stop recruiting Serbians to fight alongside Wagner mercenaries in Ukraine.

“Serbia is the only country in Europe that does not impose sanctions on Russia. Russia should stop Wagner’s efforts to recruit soldiers from Serbia. Such an approach is in violation of Serbian law,” said Vucic in an interview with Happy TV.

Vucic criticized Russian websites and social media groups for publishing advertisements in Serbian, encouraging volunteers to join the ranks of the Wagner Group.

At that time, Russian media aired television footage showing two masked individuals identified as Serbian volunteers undergoing weapons training in areas controlled by Russia in Ukraine.

Former Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic warned Serbians against joining Russia in the war against Ukraine, stating on Radio Free Europe that “this will result in legal consequences once they are able to be held responsible before the state bodies.”

The Wagner group's death's-head mural appeared on a wall in Belgrade signed by an extremist group. Credit: Reuters

Serbian volunteers had previously participated in the fighting alongside Russian-backed forces in Ukraine in 2014 and 2015. Observers suggest that exact numbers are unclear at any given time, but dozens of Serbs have registered to fight in Ukraine since 2014.

However, despite this, the Serbian Legislative Council prohibits its citizens from participating in conflicts abroad, and several individuals have been sentenced for doing so.

Despite Belgrade’s repeated condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations and various international forums, it has refrained from imposing sanctions on Moscow.

Serbian Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin, following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on August 23, 2022, stated that Serbia is the only state in Europe that has not imposed sanctions on Russia due to the war in Ukraine.

In the face of this, Serbia is facing increasing pressure from Western nations due to its reluctance to punish Moscow.

Unlike Serbia, countries in the Western Balkans such as Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Albania have chosen to follow the European Union and the United States in imposing sanctions on Russia for its war in Ukraine.

Serbia is a candidate for European Union membership, its main trade partner and major investor, but it also maintains significant trade and military cooperation with Russia, its traditional Slavic and Orthodox Christian ally.

Critics have long criticized Serbia for prioritizing its longstanding friendship with Russia over its aspirations to join the European Union.

 

Anger at Russia

The number of Serbian recruits does not seem to be substantial, especially as some fought alongside Russian forces in Ukraine in 2014, but without any official endorsement.

Serbian courts have convicted over 20 individuals for their involvement in fighting on foreign battlefronts.

Previously, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had regular contact with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, but he has now distanced himself from Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.

In a recent interview with the press, Vucic dismissed Putin’s territorial claims in Ukraine while also predicting that the conflict is far from over, stating that the “worst is yet to come” as both sides dig in. He also revealed he hadn’t spoken with Putin for many months.

Vucic emphasized that Serbia cannot and will not support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, stating, “For us, Crimea is Ukraine, Donbas is Ukraine, and it’ll remain so.” This statement is a significant shift in Serbia’s position since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine almost 11 months ago.

This statement marks a significant shift in Serbia’s stance since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Historically, Serbia has sought to balance its geopolitical and economic interests between the East and the West, but these comments affirm a gradual shift towards Europe.

However, Serbia’s reluctance to join the United States and the European Union in imposing sanctions on Russia has put the country under increasing pressure to sever ties with Putin and his energy supplies, even as the war has hurt the economy and caused inflation to rise, while Russia sells natural gas to Belgrade below market prices.

Russia still holds a significant position in Serbia’s trade, accounting for approximately 6 percent of its foreign trade, making it the country’s third-largest trading partner.

Vucic, who was reelected by a landslide in 2022, states that EU membership is his ultimate goal, but he resists sanctions efforts due to Russia’s support for his refusal to recognize Kosovo’s independence and Serbia’s experience with economic isolation.

Serbia has been trying to break free from Russia’s orbit for years and, for financial stability, secured a 2.4 billion euro loan from the International Monetary Fund and a 1 billion euro loan from the United Arab Emirates, which is deepening its ties with the Balkan state.

Belgrade remains a favored destination for Russians, albeit in recent times for those fleeing Putin’s regime. A poll conducted in the summer of 2022 showed Putin as the world leader most preferred by Serbs.

 

Qualified Mediators

While Wagner used to recruit mercenaries on Twitter and Facebook as fighters, medics, drone operators, and even psychologists to assist in combat operations in Ukraine, the facts suggest Moscow is expanding its options to attract volunteers from potential countries like Serbia.

This is where the governor of the Moscow Oblast, Andrey Vorobyov, comes in. He is a key player in the recruitment process of Serbs and is part of the inner circle of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

In May 2023, Vorobyov expressed concerns that he might not be able to meet the Kremlin’s recruitment goals as part of the unofficial mobilization plan.

The idea of recruiting foreign citizens comes from the former Federal Security Service (FSB) Colonel Roman Karatayev, the vice president of the government and director of the main security department for the Moscow Oblast.

This person suggests recruitment by relying on his personal connections with the quasi-governmental militia Redut and the People’s Militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic.

However, the governor of the neighboring Tula Oblast, Aleksey Dyumin, put forward a more appealing proposal, according to Intelligence Online, involving placing these virtual recruits within the airborne brigade 106, led by Major-General Vladimir Seliverstov.

He presented this idea during a meeting with the head of the Federal Security Service’s Moscow branch, Aleksey Dorofeyev, which was dedicated to discussing these plans behind closed doors.

Following that, the planners presented their project to legendary Russian motorcycle rider Alexander Zaldostanov, also known as “The Surgeon,” wh o is associated with his motorcycle club, the Night Wolves, and has long-term connections with Putin.

Zaldostanov has a friendly relationship with the son of former Serbian President Marko Milosevic, who sought refuge in Russia after facing trial in Serbia for involvement in organized crime activities.

Due to their strong friendship, Zaldostanov assured Russian officials that he would be able to recruit quasi-military figures from the Balkans, such as the famous Serbian mercenary Davor Savicic, into the project.

The two mentioned friends have been spotted together at numerous elite events in Moscow over the past few weeks.