Petrit Latifi
Since the outbreak of the conflict in 2014, and especially after the Russian aggression in February 2022, hundreds of Serbian citizens have joined pro-Russian forces. Some motivated by ideology, some by cultural and historical ties, and others for financial gain as paid mercenaries.
A detailed list of more than 100 names was recently published by the Ukrainian project “I Want to Live”, which is part of an initiative for the surrender of Russian soldiers, KosovaPress reports.
This list also contains names of Serbian citizens who, according to the authors of this publication, participated in the war in Ukraine on the side of the Russian Federation – most of them as contracted mercenaries, others as active supporters of the Russian war.
The list contains more than 100 names of Serbs, including dates of birth, personal identification numbers, dates of signing contracts with the Russian military and even dates of death for some of them.
The document contains data that also includes deaths, such as the cases of Aleksandar Zaric and Danilo Delibashic, who were reported to have died in 2024.
Among the names, Marko Matović stands out. His name proves Serbia’s support for the terror that Russia is perpetrating against Ukraine. This is because his death in a completely foreign war in Serbia is considered “sacrifice, loyalty and courage” towards Russia. His story has been described by pro-Russian media as a symbol of “Slavic brotherhood” in the Ukrainian conflict.
This long list also includes other names that are known to public opinion, such as Damjan Knežević, a controversial figure often linked to ultranationalist movements in Serbia. Knežević has close ties to the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, which from Jarnja has called for resistance from barricades erected by criminal groups in northern Kosovo. The same person is known to be close to the son of the Serbian president, Danilo. Vuçiq.
The list also includes the murdered Bratislav Živković, for whom organizations and individuals with nationalist and pro-Russian leanings in Serbia have openly advocated involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. Bratislav Živković, who was recently killed in fighting in Ukraine, participated in the construction of barricades in northern Kosovo and has led some of the Serbian groups operating in Donbas since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and started the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
In most cases, these volunteers have joined the self-proclaimed military formations “Donetsk People’s Republic” or “Luhansk People’s Republic”, but over the years many of them have also been integrated into official units of the Russian army.
But it is not only Serbs from Serbia who support the Russian war in the state of Ukraine by participating.
Recently, a Serb from the municipality of Zvečan, Nemanja Milković, has been identified as one of the volunteer soldiers participating in the war in Ukraine, fighting alongside Russian forces.
Milkovic, 30, has been living in Russia for more than five years and is currently an active member of units known as the “Z” formations, which are linked to Russia’s military operations in Ukraine. He lives on the outskirts of Sochi, where he lives with his wife and child, Kosova Press reported yesterday.
Through his Instagram profile, Milkovic has published several photos showing him armed and wearing military uniform, confirming his involvement in the front lines of the conflict.
According to international security sources, this is not the only case of citizens from the Balkans participating in armed conflicts abroad, a phenomenon that security authorities in the region are treating with concern.
The issue of the participation of Serbian volunteers in the war in Ukraine has existed and been proven with facts since 2014.
The ties between Serbia and Russia are old and built on religious (Orthodoxy), linguistic and political foundations. For many Serbs, Russia has historically been perceived as the “Great Slavic brother” and a supporter of Serbian issues – especially during the Balkan wars of the 1990s. This proximity has been widely exploited by Russian propaganda to attract volunteers and supporters to the region.
Officially, Serbia has declared neutrality regarding the war in Ukraine, has not imposed sanctions on Russia and has maintained close relations with Moscow. Officially, Serbian laws clearly prohibit citizens from participating in foreign conflicts, but despite this, only isolated cases have been prosecuted, while the majority of the fighters have been tolerated or silenced by the authorities, writes Kosova Press.
List of Serbian war criminals and mercenaries fighting in Ukraine
- ALEXANDROV Marko
- BARJAK Mihail
- BASARA Branimir
- BERCI Dejan
- BIŠEVAC Pavle
- BJELICA Stazijan
- BLAGOJEVIC Milan
- BOZIC Ljubisa
- VELIBOR Rade
- VELIČKOVIC Marko
- VEŠKOVIC Vladimir
- VIDOVIC
- VLADUŠIC Topolka
- VUJIC Dejan
- VUKASINOVIC Andrej
- VUKOBRATOVIC Igor
- VUKOVIC Miloš
- GAZIVODA Daniel
- DAVID Ksenijin
- DELIBASIC Davido
- DZALEROVIC Bojan Tomislavovich
- DJURUVIC Zeljka
- DMITRIJEVIC Stefan
- DOBRIC Sladjan
- DUJA Milovan
- DJUROVIC Rade
- Živanović Stefan
- Živković Bratislav
- Žika Radovan
- Zarić Aleksandar
- Ivančević Marko
- Jovanović Ivo
- Jovanović Jovan
- Jokić Siniša
- Kajtović Vladimir
- Kovačević Slobodan
- Kostić Miljan
- Krstić Siniša
- Krstić Milan
- Krunić Maja
- Kulatović Andrej
- Lazić Lazar
- Lopičić Dušan
- Lukićević Aleksandar
- Mazin Živko
- Martić Danilo
- Martić Predrag
- Matić Marko
- Matić Aleksandar
- Milenković Goran
- Milovanović Aleksandar Zlatanović
- Milošević Stefan
- Miljković Milorad
- Mirkov Drago
- Mirković Vladimir
- Mirković Dragan
- Mišković Ena
- Mladenović Ivan
- Muminović Melvin
- Neđić Nikola
- Nesterović Đorđe
- Nidić Eoin
- Nikolić Boris
- Novaković Ivan
- Ognjanović Bratislav
- Pavić Zoran Radovan
- Pavlović Mladen
- Pavlović Kristian
- Popović Nemanja
- Popović Filip
- Popović Grigorij
- Predojević Zoran
- Rabatić Vladimir
- Radojinović Živojin
- Rakić Ivan
- Rakonjac Luka
- Ristić Stefan
- SAVIĆ Nikola
- SAVIN Damko
- SVEN Marko Marko Kun
- SEKULIN Danko
- SIMIĆ Živjan
- SPASIĆ Dušan
- STANIĆ Vlado
- STANIH Boban
- STANIŠIĆ Slobodan
- STANOJEVIĆ Mišo
- STEVANOVIĆ Radoslav
- STOJIĆ Bož
- STOJIĆ Zoran
- STOJKOVIĆ Petar
- STOJKOVIĆ Ivan
- STOJANOVIĆ Nedo
- TARBUK Predrag
- TARBUK Nenad
- TEŠIĆ Josif
- UROŠEVIĆ Milan
- FRAJHUŠINSKI Saša
- ČOLIĆ Aleksandar
- JANIĆ Vukašin
Reference
Balkan Academia 