Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has reacted indignantly to attempts by the Russian mercenary group Wagner to recruit fighters from his country for deployment in Ukraine. “Why are you doing this to Serbia? Why are you calling on Von Wagner to do this, even if it’s against the rules?” Vucic asked in a televised interview Monday night.
Vucic’s remarks are a rare criticism of the Serbian president towards Russia – Moscow is a close ally of the Balkan country. The controversial ad aired earlier this month on the Serbian branch of Russian state broadcaster RT. In it, the Russian military company called on the Serbs to join the fight in Ukraine.
Few Serbs fight alongside Russia
A small number of Serbs fought alongside Russian-backed forces in Ukraine after Moscow annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in the spring of 2014. Authorities have not yet released an exact number. On Tuesday, the Russian news agency Ria Novosti published images of two Serbian nationals taking part in weapons training in Ukraine.
Serbia does not support Russia’s sanctions
Besides Belarus, Serbia is the only European country that does not support the West’s sanctions against Russia, even though Vucic’s government has condemned the invasion. Many Serbs support the Russian attack on Ukraine and there have also been pro-Russian demonstrations in the capital Belgrade.
The mercenary group Wagner was founded in 2014. Wagner fighters were deployed in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, among others. Russian mercenaries also played a major role in the February 2022 attack on Ukraine.
Source: Krone
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