Vladimir Putin has been left furious after Russia's foreign intelligence service accused Serbia of "shooting Russia in the back" by supplying arms and ammunition to Ukraine through intermediaries.
The SVR issued an unusual statement targeting Belgrade, declaring that "Serbia's military industry is trying to shoot Russia in the back" and listing Serbian arms manufacturers it claimed were producing weapons for Ukraine.
The intelligence agency accused Serbia of using "a simple scheme using fake end-user certificates and intermediary countries" to supply hundreds of thousands of shells and a million rounds of small-arms ammunition.
Putin raised the issue during a recent meeting in Moscow with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia.
Vladimir Putin has been left furious after Russia's foreign intelligence service accused Serbia of 'shooting Russia in the back' by supplying arms and ammunition to Ukraine through intermediaries
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Vučić responded with a late-night television appearance, vehemently denying the Russian accusations and insisting his government had issued no export licences to Ukraine.
Dismissing suggestions that he had switched loyalties from one foreign power to another he declared: "No, gentlemen, we work only for Serbia."
The Serbian president specifically denied that any missiles had been delivered to Ukraine, though he had previously acknowledged to the Financial Times that Serbian arms and ammunition were reaching Ukrainian forces via intermediaries he claimed to have no control over.
Vučić defended Serbia's precarious balancing act between maintaining ties with Russia whilst pursuing EU membership aspirations.
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Vučić responded with a late-night television appearance on Thursday, vehemently denying the Russian accusations and insisting his government had issued no export licences to Ukraine
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Experts suggest Moscow is signalling its frustration with Vučić's diplomatic balancing act between Russia and the West.
Ivan Vejvoda, a fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, said this was Russia's way of warning Vučić that "sitting on several chairs is becoming unacceptable to them".
Vejvoda noted there was no way the arms deliveries had occurred without Russia's knowledge, but argued Vučić cannot change his approach as minimal support for Ukraine "has been a fundamental way of showing Serbia is leaning westward".
Meanwhile, Washington has also pressured Belgrade over Russian oil imports, with the Trump administration extending a deadline until the end of June for Serbia to settle a dispute over its main refiner NIS, which is owned by Gazprom.
Serbian people attend a pro-Vucic rally last month
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Thousands of Serbians have joined a march through Belgrade in an anti-government protest, demanding an early election.
The protest was organised and led by students who are demanding that those responsible for the roof collapse at a train station in Novi Sad in November that killed more than a dozen people be brought to justice.
In January, Vucic floated the possibility of a snap election after his Prime Minister resigned amid growing anti-government protests.
Putin still faces pressure from the UK, the US and European allies to end the war with Ukraine.
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