The problem of mercenaries being recruited for the war against Ukraine will sooner or later become a hot topic for Serbia and Russia, as it leads to public radicalization and the spread of extremism.
This opinion was expressed in an interview with Ukrinform by Biljana Sahrimanjan-Obradovic, an analyst with the Center for Strategic Analysis.
“People who fought and still fighting for Russia are subject to prosecution. Because the criminal regime from Moscow grants them citizenship and basic incentives to stay in Russia, so in that way, they avoid criminal prosecution. I think this will become a hot topic for Belgrade and Moscow sooner or later because those foreign fighters are advocates against the Government in Belgrade. They use Telegram and social networks as recruiters, opinion makers or influencers. It depends on which role they have, but most of them die in Putin’s meat-grinding machine,” she said.
Sahrimanjan-Obradovic noted that security services in Serbia are working to eliminate recruitment networks.
According to her estimates, a very small number of people in Serbia set off to “die for Putin”, but for the country the problem lies in the radicalization of those recruited by Russia and the possible growth of extremism within Serbia as a result.
As reported, more than 1,500 mercenaries from 48 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, are fighting on Russia’s side in the war against Ukraine. According to the “Vazhnye Istorii” outlet, the leader among European countries in terms of the number of mercenaries who joined the Russian army (eight) is Serbia.
Source: Mercenaries to become "hot topic" for Belgrade, Moscow - Serbian expert
