The scent of gunpowder, the thrill of combat, and the promise of victory—or employment “in the field”—are the core marketing hooks of numerous ads through which specialized agencies offer tactical (military) training for civilians. These ads have flooded social media in Serbia in recent months.
Meanwhile, information from Moldova, on the eve of presidential elections and a recently concluded EU referendum, reports that trained activists/diversionists from Serbia and the Republic of Srpska are being sent there on behalf of Russia to alter the political landscape. Instead of a denial from the government in Belgrade, on the same day that this disturbing news arrived from Chișinău—October 17th—Serbia’s BIA announced it had dismantled an illegal camp on the outskirts of Radenka near Kučevo, where drones, Starlink satellite internet equipment, and incendiary materials like phosphorus were found.
Recruitment of specialized skills
While the activities of tactical shooting as a sport and covert operations to change regimes abroad are vastly different, they converge at the point where private military companies recruit civilians with specific skill sets. Companies like the notorious Wagner Group, mentioned by both Moldova’s prosecution and its president, are actively involved in these recruitments.
To be fair, there is considerable demand beyond Serbia’s borders for people willing and capable of altering situations on the ground kinetically as required by employers. Foreign nationals in Serbia even have companies registered for tactical shooting activities, making use of professionally equipped training centres, helicopters, and riverboats for training purposes. For instance, a company named the European Bodyguard and Security Services Association (EBSSA), owned by a foreign national, offered a Maritime Security Specialist course in Belgrade in October, coinciding with the publication date of this article.
This company, registered in Niš, advertises three training centres on its website—in Mexico, Jordan, and Serbia. Rustam Bogdanov, EBSSA’s owner and instructor, a former special forces operative and Uzbek citizen, initially agreed to an interview with Radar on specialized training and potential job prospects for his trainees but later declined the scheduled call.
Training courses and armed drills
EBSSA’s website showcases training grounds and courses conducted with military firearms and pistols, while the owner’s social media account displays images from his time in post-war Iraq and photos with long-barrel firearms next to a helicopter bearing the Serbian registration YU HRD. According to the Directorate for Civil Aviation, this helicopter—an Agusta Westland—is registered under Takovo d.o.o.
“It’s unknown to me who the current owner of that helicopter is. What I do know is that it was sold,” stated Rodoljub Drašković, owner of Swisslion-Takovo, in a brief statement for Radar.
This raises questions about the identities of those organizing tactical training sessions in Serbia and about who registers and operates private helicopters that fly armed individuals across the country. It recalls President Aleksandar Vučić’s question to an associate during a media briefing in Ruma in October 2017: “Just check where it’s going, what that helicopter is doing…”
A Radar source states that their participants are adventurous individuals, as well as those seeking stress relief:
“We have many well-established, professionally accomplished people who come precisely to relieve job-related tension. It was also somewhat popular at one point for individuals to train this way as preparation for security licensing, enabling them to work for private companies in high-risk zones, on oil rigs, or ships navigating international waters for Western companies. At one point, the Russian Wagner Group was also active…”
Reports from Moldova
Reports from Moldova indicate that local authorities are grappling with an asymmetric threat and covert Russian agent activities, citing camps in Serbia and the Republic of Srpska. This follows a statement from the U.S. State Department about Russia’s cross-border activities destabilizing countries in Europe, Africa, North and South America. According to American intelligence, even some Russian media are involved in information operations, covert influence actions, and military acquisitions.
On October 17, the same day Moldova’s prosecutor confirmed that security services arrested individuals who had trained in Serbia for potential subversion in Moldova, Serbia’s Security Information Agency (BIA) announced it had located a camp near the village of Radenka, Kučevo, used for drone training, with uniforms and military equipment found on-site.
Reports of Russian pressure on Moldova first emerged in October 2023, when President Maia Sandu alleged that a Kremlin-backed coup was being prepared through the Wagner private military company. Serbian and Bosnian camps were also mentioned then. In November, Zukan Helez, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Minister of Defense, told Radio Free Europe that military training camps were located near Rogatica in eastern Bosnia and on Mount Maglić.
“This BIA action is clearly connected to the ongoing and persistent reports from Moldova,” military analyst Aleksandar Radić told Radar. “It’s plausible that information on who used this camp and for what purpose was passed to the proper channels, yet the public in Serbia, as usual, remains uninformed—a tradition by now. This is definitely news the Serbian government perceives as inconvenient, and they’ll do everything to downplay it domestically.”
When asked why the BIA would expose itself by releasing such an incomplete report, mentioning Starlink equipment but providing no concrete details on arrests or camp users, a Radar source explained:
“BIA only acts and reports what the government orders, never more or less. Moldova has been warning about people training in Serbia for some time. It’s also an open secret that Serbian fans are used to sabotage opposition movements, raising questions if these same people are now disrupting democratic processes in other countries. As for Starlink, Russians have begun using it efficiently since the Ukrainians.”
Elon Musk’s responsibility
According to The Washington Post, Russian forces used Starlink technology to rapidly capture the town of Vuhledar. Elon Musk, Starlink’s owner, has faced criticism for allowing such use, especially after deciding not to enable his technology for guiding Ukrainian naval drones in the Black Sea.
“When it comes to private companies organizing work in high-risk areas, it’s an industry that’s grown significantly in the shadows and employs continuously,” Radić concluded.
Dušan Janjić from the Forum for Ethnic Relations emphasized that the government must fully disclose the nature of the camp dismantled near Kučevo:
“The state has an obligation to reveal the whole truth—who used the camp and for what purpose. What kind of equipment was found there, and what drones were involved? Are they the ones manufactured by Željko Mitrović? What is Wagner’s role and position, and are they still recruiting and training in Serbia? The state owes these answers urgently, especially after the debacle in Banjska, to avoid anything similar happening again.”
Still, it seems unlikely that a government rooted in secret agreements and backdoor dealings will satisfy the public’s questions about where the helicopters fly and where this ship sails.
(Radar, 24.10.2024)
https://radar.nova.rs/drustvo/da-li-vagnerovci-i-dalje-regrutuju-u-srbiji/
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