A sentence handed down in Belgrade carries a strict warning, while estimates suggest many more Serbian citizens may have joined Russia’s forces.
The Higher Court in Belgrade sentenced Milos N. to six months of house arrest for fighting in the war against Ukraine on Russia’s side. The sentence was handed down on September 10. The court informed Radio Liberty’s Balkan service of the ruling on September 24. It is Serbia’s 35th final conviction for taking part in hostilities abroad. The offense carries a prison sentence of up to five years.
This is reported by the Balkan Service of Radio Liberty.
According to the indictment, the man served in a Russian military unit from September 2024 to November 2025. He traveled to Moscow, signed a one-year contract with representatives of Russia’s Ministry of Defense, and received 13,318 rubles, or about 140 euros, for his service. After training, he was deployed to the Zaporizhzhia region as part of the 429th Ossetia Assault Regiment. Investigators say the man followed his commanders’ orders and was wounded in a Ukrainian drone strike.
The prosecution requested six months of house arrest with electronic monitoring, and the court granted the request. The court warned that if the man violates the restrictions, he could serve the remainder of his sentence in a correctional facility. This could happen, for example, if he leaves his home for more than six hours once or for up to six hours twice.
U.S. researcher Harry Stevens, quoted by Radio Liberty’s Balkan service, estimates that at least 1,000 Serbian citizens have served in the Russian army since the start of the full-scale invasion. At the same time, he considers a figure of more than 2,000 unlikely. The researcher cited money and right-wing beliefs as possible motives for joining the Russian military.
According to data from “I Want to Live,” a project run by Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, one in ten servicemen captured by Ukraine is not a Russian citizen. As of September 2026, citizens of 55 countries had been recorded among the prisoners.
A Serbian court sentences a participant in the war against Ukraine to house arrest