Serbian military seeks alternatives amid Russian supply crisis
The war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia have led to problems even for its long-standing allies. The Serbian army is increasingly facing issues related to the maintenance of Soviet and Russian weapons, which has been accumulating on a large scale for years.
Due to the inability to obtain necessary components from Russia, Serbia must look elsewhere for spare parts to keep equipment such as MiG-29 fighters, T-72 tanks, and missile systems operational. Milan Mojsilović, Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, confirmed this.
Serbia has challenges with Russian weapons
A Serbian military official explained that supplying weapons from the Russian Federation is currently nearly impossible. According to an interview with the portal novosti.rs, efforts are underway to address this issue by exploring alternative diplomatic channels.
Mojsilović did not specify which countries have been selected as alternative sources for obtaining the necessary components to maintain Serbian armaments, a significant portion of which are Soviet-era equipment acquired through contracts with Moscow. Serbia uses a range of equipment, including about a dozen MiG-29 fighters, several dozen T-72 tanks, as well as 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers, D-30 howitzers, M-46 guns with a calibre of 130 mm, Kub rocket launchers, and Strela-10 systems.
Among the newer Russian armaments in the Serbian army's service are the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft systems, which Belgrade began receiving in 2020. These systems are among the best of their kind produced in Russia and are also used in the war in Ukraine. They use 57E6 or 57E6-E rocket missiles with a range of approximately 20 kilometres. Additionally, the Pantsir-S1 is fitted with 2A38M automatic cannons with a calibre of 30 mm and a range of about 3 kilometres.
Serbia begins to lean towards Western weapons
Despite the extensive use of Soviet and Russian armaments, there is a noticeable shift in the Serbian authorities' approach, as they are now signing new arms contracts with various countries, including Western ones.
France and Spain have agreed on Rafale fighters and transport aircraft to replace the Soviet An-26. In early 2025, Israeli Elbit Systems announced a contract, enabling the Serbian army to acquire PULS artillery systems and Hermes 900 drones.
