This is surprising. Russia and Serbia are typically on the same side.
Ukraine received €800 million worth of ammunition from Serbia through third parties
9 hours agoSerbia supplied Western countries with ammunition, some of which was then re-exported to Ukraine. Thus, the Armed Forces of Ukraine received shells worth €800 million, writes the Financial Times.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić called this amount "generally accurate." According to him, we are talking about an indicator for two to three years. He stressed that the sale of ammunition is a business necessary for the "economic revival" of Serbia, and such supplies do not mean that he takes sides in the conflict.
"Yes, we export our ammunition. We cannot supply them to Ukraine or Russia, but we have had many contracts with the Americans, Spaniards, Czechs and others. How they ultimately deal with this is their business," Vučić said.
The Serbian president added that even if he knows where the shells hit, it does not concern him. "My job is to ensure that we handle our ammunition legally, that we sell it. I have to take care of my people, and that's all," Vučić stressed.
According to him, Serbia has received a "great opportunity" to do business by exporting ammunition, since its weapons are cheaper than Western ones. Vučić added that the total volume of such supplies will only increase.
This was confirmed by Serbian Finance Minister Sinisa Mali. The defense industry, which employs 20,000 people in a country of 7 million people, is expanding rapidly, he said. "I see it as a business cluster," Mali said, adding that in terms of arms production, Serbia has not yet reached the level of more developed countries, but now is "the time" to catch up.
According to diplomats and analysts interviewed by the publication, Serbia's participation in the supply of ammunition to Ukraine is so veiled that official data do not reflect this. The Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which monitors support for Kyiv, said that they did not directly monitor Belgrade's activities and did not have evidence of its "systematic contribution" to the defense of Ukraine. . . .
https://www.moscowtimes.eu/2024/06/22/ukraina-poluchila-boepripasi-izserbii-na800mln-cherez-tretih-lits-a134722