Vucic announces the opening of a drone factory in Serbia
27 December 23:19
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has announced that a large drone manufacturing plant will start operating in the country next spring. According to him, the company is expected to open in late March or early April, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports, citing local media.
“I am proud to say that these will be high-tech drones,” he said.
The head of state noted that Serbia is already actively purchasing unmanned aerial vehicles and kamikaze drones and intends to continue this practice. According to him, Belgrade’s priority remains the preservation of peace, but the country must be prepared for any scenario amid the unstable international situation. Vucic emphasized that he is extremely concerned about what is happening in the world and does not consider it possible to completely rule out the threat of an attack on Serbia.
“We will be able to maintain peace only if our army and defense system become even stronger and more powerful. That is why we will continue to build up our armaments and develop the domestic military industry. I believe that soon we will be able to boast of a multi-level air defense using new means, comparable in level and power to the systems that only a few European countries have,” Vucic said.
Earlier, in November, Vucic said that Serbia had offered the European Union to buy its surplus ammunition. He noted that the country produces more shells than France, and its warehouses are full.
“The buyers are free to dispose of the ammunition as they wish,” Vucic said, answering a question about the possible transfer of shells to Ukraine. He also reiterated that Serbia condemns Russia’s attack on Ukraine and respects its territorial integrity. Following these statements, Vucic had a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which they discussed, among other things, security cooperation.
At the end of May, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service accused Serbian defense companies of supplying ammunition to Ukraine in violation of Belgrade’s neutrality, claiming that the supplies were made through intermediary countries using fake end-user certificates. Earlier, the Financial Times reported that Ukraine had received Serbian ammunition worth about 800 million euros through third countries. Vucic called this estimate “generally accurate,” noting that Serbia does not supply weapons directly to either Russia or Ukraine, but rather contracts with Western countries.
