BELGRADE (WARINFO) – According to Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic, who spoke on Wednesday, Russian investigators have determined that sonic weapons were not employed by Serbian authorities during a large-scale protest in March, following concerns raised by European officials about potential usage.
A few weeks ago, the Serbian government asked for assistance from the Russian FSB, their close partner, to look into an incident where numerous anti-government demonstrators in Belgrade on March 15 claimed they were forced to run away due to a loud noise which also affected some individuals severely.
Senior representatives from the European Union’s administrative Commission along with various human rights groups pressed President Vucic to probe the reported incidents, as these occurrences could violate Serbian legislation. He agreed to examine the matter further.
“Definitive evidence shows that the … kind of acoustic equipment held by the Serbian law enforcement agencies was not utilized,” stated Vučić during a broadcasted announcement, referencing the FSB document.
Protests against Vucic, a populist leader who has held office either as prime minister or president since 2013, have reached their largest scale in many years. Following these demonstrations, which prompted his predecessor’s resignation, Serbia’s parliament elected a political newcomer perceived as being aligned with Vucic as the new prime minister on Wednesday.
The Serbian authorities denied possessing such sonic devices, until Interior Minister Ivica Dacic admitted that police had bought Long-Range Acoustic Devices (LRAD) – used by law enforcement agencies and militaries in a number of countries, including the United States, Australia, Greece and Japan – from the U.S. in 2021. Police later said the devices had been bought to relay verbal messages to crowds.
Sonic devices utilize intense sounds to disable adversaries. These instruments can harm hearing and lead to headaches as well as feelings of sickness. According to Serbian legislation, these tools cannot be used against regular citizens.
Vucic said he will seek criminal responsibility for those who accused authorities of using a sonic weapon and that the Russian report had indicated that unidentified black-clad people from the crowd had staged the incident. “Shame on you, you miserable liars,” he said.
Prominent organizations stated that the findings regarding their usage on March 15 were uncertain, however, they indicated that either an LRAD or an experimental vortex cannon might have been employed.
Serbia balances its pro-Western policies and EU accession bid with ties with Russia, a traditional Slavic and Orthodox Christian ally. In March, Serbia’s former deputy-Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin said Russia’s spy services had helped Belgrade to try to thwart protests.
Vucic stated his intention to join the celebrations in Moscow for the Victory Parade on May 9, where he will meet with Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin.
(Reported by Aleksandar Vasovic; Edited by Philippa Fletcher)
