Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic asked Russia to stop recruiting mercenaries in Serbia for the war in Ukraine.
Vucic criticized Russian websites and social media groups that publish recruitment ads by Russian state-backed mercenary company Wagner Group, a private army of tens of thousands which has played a prominent role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Serbian legislature bans its citizens from participating in foreign conflicts.
“Why do you, from Wagner, call anyone from Serbia when you know that it is against our regulations?” Vucic said on Serbian television on Jan. 17.
The Ukrainian National Resistance Center, an organization operated by Ukraine's Special Forces, stated that Russia gets the bulk of its mercenaries from the Balkans. A key recruiter is Serbian sniper Deyan Berich, who has fought for Russia since 2014.
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