UAE-linked company in Serbia supplying weapons to Israel amid war on Gaza

Serbia’s state-owned weapons manufacturer, which was recently revealed to be selling millions of dollars in armaments to Israel, also has decades-old ties with the UAE.

According to a report by Balkan Insight, in 2024 Serbia’s main state-owned arms trader, Yugoimport-SDPR, exported at least $17.1m worth of weapons to Israel via Israeli military planes as well as civilian aircraft.

Serbia was a major arms supplier during the Cold War when it was still part of Yugoslavia. Despite its close ties to Russia, it has also been doing business selling ammunition to Ukraine valued at $858m, according to a recent Financial Times report. In 2021 Serbia’s arms exports were valued at around $1.2bn.

But Serbia’s arms interests also extend throughout the Middle East.

Read more: UAE-linked company in Serbia supplying weapons to Israel amid war on Gaza