Thewesternbalkans
According to the Moscow Times, Serbia’s Chief of General Staff Milan Mojsilović informed that Serbia has cancelled contracts for Russian weapons. Russia have supplied its army since Soviet times.
The Serbian general has said that the reason for the decision to cancel the contracts was the Western sanctions against Moscow. He said Belgrade was trying to find a solution through diplomatic channels but that some contracts were cancelled and others postponed in the hopes international relations would normalise.
According to Mojsilović, the Serbian army can still buy spare parts for Soviet and Russian equipment because they are produced under licence in many countries worldwide. However, he says it is no longer possible to buy new equipment from Russia.
In August last year, Serbia decided to abandon the purchase of a new batch of Russian fighter jets, which had been under discussion since 2021. Instead of Russian aircraft, Belgrade purchased 12 French Rafale jets for €2.7 billion to replace its ageing fleet of Russian MiG-29s. According to some scientists, this deal marked the beginning of a radical restructuring of the Serbian Air Force, as pilot retraining, military infrastructure reorganisation and other complex preparations will be required. The choice of French fighter jets was made, because they “will provide the necessary capabilities for the air force in the long term”. They think also that the development is a “strategically significant shift for Serbia, and it is not a temporary one” because the military procurement is planned for the long term, and once such ties are severed, they are almost never renewed, meaning Moscow has lost one of its main levers of influence in the Western Balkans.
And one more serios think – Serbia is taking steps to remove the majority of Russian ownership from its national oil company, NIS. In addition, Serbia has been diversifying its gas supply for years, now sourcing from suppliers in the Caspian region and importing LNG via Greece.
Comments: According to the analyses of some scientists, Serbia’s recent decision to buy 12 new French Rafale fighter jets speaks about Serbia’s strategic positioning amid the conflict between the West and Russia. Add to this Serbia’s substantial military aid to Ukraine, channelled through third countries and valued at around $800 million – exceeding the contributions of some NATO members.
Serbia continues to look for opportunities to balance the interests of Russia and the West, as it has done for at least the last 90 years. Almost in parallel with this development, Serbia was the only European country apart from Russia and Belarus to attend the inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, which was boycotted by the vast majority of the international democratic community.
In Belgrade, however, they have not forgotten the bombing of 1999. They have also not forgotten the promises of Russian generals that they will help in a conflict with NATO in that time, which did not happen.
