What is known about the weapons that Serbia has banned from exporting to Israel?

Exports have been suspended, but it is not known how much and what has been exported. This statement refers to the decision announced two days ago by the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and confirmed by the Ministry of Defense of this country. Serbia is banning the export of ammunition, Vučić said, emphasizing exports to Israel - the state that is at the center of the current conflict in the Middle East.

Neither Vučić nor the Ministry of Defense has provided details on what weapons and military equipment Serbia has exported to Israel in recent years. Official reports from the competent Ministry of Trade on the export of weapons and military equipment from Serbia have not been published for several years, although according to the Law on the Export and Import of Weapons and Military Equipment, they must be published.

Serbia's Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade issues permits for the import and export of weapons and military equipment. Radio Free Europe has requested information on permits related to Israel several times in recent months, using freedom of information requests. However, this data has not been provided.

What is known about arms exports?

However, some information regarding arms exports to Israel has become available during the investigation into the company Romax-trade, which is linked to the procurement of the so-called sonic cannon - an LRAD device, allegedly used in Belgrade during student protests on March 15 this year. The Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade has issued two export licenses to Romax-trade for Israel, in 2021 and 2022.

The weapons in question are worth seven million euros. They are classified as “category four of the National Control List,” which includes: bombs, torpedoes, rockets, projectiles and explosive devices. The weapons, for which Romax has obtained export licenses, are produced by the state-owned defense industry factory Krusik, from Valeva, and part of this work, worth 2.2 million euros, was carried out during 2021, Serbia’s Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade told Radio Free Europe in April this year.

The importer of Krushik's goods is the Israeli company Ispra, which states on its website that it specializes in the production of "crowd management" equipment. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty asked Ispra for what purpose the weapons were purchased from Krushik - whether they were purchased for the needs of the Israeli army or some other institution - but, as of the publication of this article, it had not received a response.

What is the role of the Ispra company from Israel?

In 2021 and 2022, the company Romax-trade received permission to import classified products, such as aircraft, chemical and biological agents, from the Israeli manufacturer Ispra. In three procurements, the Serbian police were listed as the end user. The Minister of Internal Affairs of Serbia at the time was Aleksandar Vulin.

The Israeli company Ispra is known for its Cyclone system, or tear gas drones that release tear gas from the air. According to media reports, this system has been used against protesters in Gaza, as well as during anti-corruption protests in Kenya.

Ministry of Trade without response

The explosive devices from Krusik, worth seven million euros, are just a small part of the Serbian defense industry’s exports to Israel. According to an investigation by BIRN and the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, seven Israeli military aircraft flew to Serbia from October 2023 to June 2024. These flights were related to the export of weapons from Serbia to Israel worth 15.7 million euros.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalists in Belgrade have been trying to obtain accurate data on the export of weapons and military equipment from the Serbian defense industry to Israel, but the competent Ministry of Trade has not responded for months.

The ministry rejected the initial request in mid-October last year, saying that “documents, data and information related to the import and export of weapons and military equipment are marked as confidential.” A decision by the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance ordered the Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade to act on the request – which it has not done to date.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade has also been asked to issue a decision on determining the confidentiality of data, more specifically documents indicating why import and export licenses are marked as 'confidential'. However, the ministry has not responded to this request either, which was sent at the end of November 2024.

What other questions await answers?

Even after Vučić announced the unexpected decision, the Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade - responsible for the procedure for obtaining a license for the export of weapons and military equipment - has not responded.

Radio Free Europe asked him when this decision was implemented, and what is happening with deliveries from previously signed contracts.

There were also no answers to questions about a cargo plane that flew from Belgrade to Israel on Tuesday - a day after the export ban was announced. /REL