Serbian Defense Minister talking to Russian journalists after the meeting with Shoygu, April 3. Photo: Beta/Serbian Defense Ministry

A Serbian military expert said the new delivery of Russian aircraft and other military equipment was a good deal for Serbia, as its equipment dates back from the time of the Yugoslav People’s Army, JNA, and needs renewing.

“I would like to see, instead of ad hoc decisions on buying weapons, long-term strategies on how Serbian Army will develop, with rejuvenation of soldiers as a priority,” Vlade Radulovic, director of the Atlantic Council of Serbia, in Belgrade, told BIRN.

Serbian Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin agreed with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoygu on the procurement of the new weapons this week in Moscow.

Russia’s agency Tass said the two officials discussed the delivery of Mi-17 transport helicopters, T-72 tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles and other military hardware.

“We talked about acquiring four Mi-17 transport helicopters and four Mi-35 attack helicopters. We also discussed the future of our military and technical cooperation, further improvement and modernization of MiG fighter jets, the purchase and delivery of T-72 tanks and BMP-2 vehicles, as well as other types of military hardware,” Vulin said, Tass agency reported.

On March 20, the Serbian minister told the media that two Antonov An-26 transport planes will be also delivered to Serbia as part of a military-technical agreement reached between the presidents of Russia and Serbia.

Radulovic said that although many will argue that Serbia is having an “arms race” with its neighbours, which are also buying military equipment, he says Serbia is only “renewing equipment … because it dates way back from the time of the JNA [disbanded in 1992]”.

This is not the first time Serbia has bought military equipment from Russia. In February 2017 Serbia announced it would spend millions of euros on modernising and overhauling its air fleet and on six planes recently delivered as a donation from Russia.

Radulovic added that the next phase is introducing all the aircraft and tanks into the Serbian Army.

Asked whether the new deal with Russia will once again raise speculation about whether Serbia is closer with Russia than Western partners, Radulovic noted that Serbian soldiers are trained to handle Soviet machinery.

“So this is natural. And because Serbia is not a member of NATO it can buy equipment from Russia as well – for less money getting as much as possible,” he concluded.

Russia is a close ally to Serbia and was among the first states to condemn Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008. It has since voted against the membership of Kosovo in international institutions in line with Belgrade’s policies.

In turn, Serbia has refused to join Western sanctions on Russia for its perceived role in fomenting conflict in Ukraine, despite numerous calls from Brussels stating that Serbia – as an EU candidate country – needs to align its foreign policy with that of the union.

Read more:

Serbia Thanks Russia For Support Over Kosovo

Croat Carries Cross in Protest Over Sick Children

Serbian Army Trains More With NATO Than Russia

Russian Youth Camp Teaches Serbs ‘Military Patriotism’



