Serbia will not send weapons and equipment to Russia despite Moscow’s expectations of support for its year-long war against Ukraine.
The information was disclosed by Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukraine defense ministry’s main intelligence directorate, during an interview with Voice of America.
According to Budanov, Belgrade refused to transfer weapons to Russia, leaving President Vladimir Putin with limited options to replenish its stockpiles.
The only country that Moscow reportedly relies on now is Iran, which has already sent suicide drones to penetrate Ukraine’s air defenses.
“Russia is just trying to buy anything anywhere – because their problems are indeed significant,” Budanov told the outlet.
“There were reports that something was coming from North Korea, but we have no confirmation of this.”
Weapons Supply Woes
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February last year, reports have indicated that invading forces continue to suffer significant losses on Ukrainian soil.
Before the conflict reached its first month, Moscow had already lost more than $5 billion in military equipment, according to Forbes.
The Russian military is also experiencing “colossal irreplaceable losses” in manpower and weaponry due to declining defense industry production brought on by sanctions from the West.
Budanov claims President Putin is considering purchasing weapons from developing countries to continue arming Russian soldiers.
“Now they are trying with Myanmar. We will see what will come of this over time. But in fact, in terms of weapons supplies, Russia is limited to Iran. That’s as of today,” he said.
A ‘Bubble’ State
Four days after the invasion was launched, Moscow’s nuclear forces were put on high alert due to stiff Ukrainian resistance.
This triggered international fears that Putin might use nuclear weapons to neutralize Ukrainian territories.
However, the Ukrainian intelligence chief believes Russia is locked in a “bubble” in which they exaggerate everything.
“They clearly understand the main thing: nuclear arms are not weapons – they are a means of strategic deterrence. Second, the use of a nuclear deterrent by anyone in the world will lead to, let’s say, fatal consequences for whoever does it,” he said.