“Pro-Russian” intelligence chief resigns under pressure from US and EU

Serbian intelligence chief Aleksandar Vulin – who pushed for closer ties with Russia and is under US sanctions – has resigned after less than a year in the job, saying he wanted to avoid further sanctions that could be imposed on the Balkan country.

Aleksandar Vulin, head of Serbia's Security and Information Agency (BIA), resigned on November 3, months after he was placed on the US sanctions "blacklist".

In July, Washington imposed sanctions on Mr Vulin, accusing him of involvement in illegal arms trafficking, drug trafficking and abuse of public office.

In a statement at the time, the US Treasury Department ’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said Mr. Vulin used his public power to help a Serbian arms dealer – who was under US sanctions – transport weapons across the Serbian border. Mr. Vulin, 51, was also accused of involvement in a drug trafficking ring, according to US authorities.

A close associate of populist Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Vulin is said to be an ardent advocate of closer ties with Russia rather than the West and has promoted the concept of a “Serbian World ” – a replica of the “Russian World” championed by President Vladimir Putin.

Serbian President Vucic said the real reason Mr Vulin was facing US sanctions was because of his stance on Russia, not corruption allegations.

World - Serbia: — Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, in an interview with the privately owned national television channel Pink, on November 3, 2023, stated in connection with the resignation of the head of Serbian intelligence, that Aleksandar Vulin has never been an agent of anyone, and certainly not a Russian agent, but only works for his country. Photo: Kosovo Online

Mr. Vulin became head of Serbia's BIA intelligence agency in December 2022. Previously, he served as Minister of Defense, Minister of Interior, and was also in charge of issues related to Kosovo and Metohija.

Mr Vulin is the first senior Serbian official to face US sanctions since Mr Vucic became president in 2017. In July, Mr Vulin said he would investigate the US allegations.

The veteran politician ’s resignation on November 3 coincided with growing pressure on Serbia from the West to improve relations with Kosovo as a condition for moving toward EU membership. On October 29, leaders from Germany, France, Italy and key EU officials jointly called on Serbia to take significant steps toward de facto recognition of Kosovo.

Despite condemning Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, Serbia has so far not joined international sanctions against Moscow.

Last August, as Serbia's interior minister, Mr. Vulin traveled to Moscow in a rare visit by a European government official to the Russian capital amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“Serbia is the only country in Europe that has not introduced sanctions and is not part of the wave of anti-Russian hysteria,” Mr. Vulin told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the time.

In August this year, Mr. Vulin proposed that Serbia apply to join the BRICS group of leading emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) instead of pursuing EU accession .

Minh Duc (According to AP, bne Intelli News)

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