Serbia continued to permit arms shipments destined for Ukraine to transit its territory even after receiving direct warnings from Moscow, according to an investigation published by Balkan Insight on July 22.

The report comes just weeks after Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) publicly criticised Serbia for enabling the flow of arms to Ukraine. In late May, the SVR accused Serbian manufacturers and government-linked actors of profiting from the war and violating Belgrade’s officially declared military neutrality.

“Serbian defence companies, contrary to the 'neutrality' declared by official Belgrade, continue to deliver ammunition to Kiev,” the SVR said, claiming that third-party states and falsified end-user certificates were used to conceal the final destination of the arms.

While Serbia has not directly exported weapons to Ukraine, Balkan Insight reports that Belgrade has routinely allowed foreign arms—including Bosnian-made ammunition—to transit its territory en route to Nato member states known to be supplying Kyiv.

Official documents obtained by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) show that on June 12, Serbia’s interior ministry authorised the movement of 132 pallets carrying 960 high-explosive 155mm artillery shells. The shipment originated in Bosnia & Herzegovina and crossed into Serbia before heading north to Hungary. The Czech defence company Omnipol ordered the delivery, as part of a Czech-led initiative to supply ammunition to Ukraine’s armed forces.

Bosnia, like Serbia, officially does not sell arms to Ukraine due to political opposition from the public and pro-Russian leaders, particularly within the Serb-majority Republika Srpska. Instead, the Bosnian defence sector has seen a sharp increase in exports to Nato countries, particularly Czechia. 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, speaking on June 23, claimed that all ammunition exports had been suspended. According to the BIRN investigation, however, this has not prevented shipments routed through Serbia from third countries, especially those with final destinations in Nato-aligned states.

In 2024, the Financial Times reported that Serbian-made ammunition worth €800mn had made its way to Ukraine, prompting muted responses from Moscow at the time. The renewed criticism from Russian intelligence this year has revived speculation over the state of Serbia-Russia relations.

Though Serbia has maintained its refusal to impose sanctions on Moscow, it has supported several UN resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, it continues to pursue EU accession, a process requiring closer alignment with the bloc's foreign policy.