Police Department Montenegro carried out this morning an extensive operation codenamed "Lugansk", in the framework of which arrested Danko Savić (61) from Danilovgrad and Dejan Braletić (64) from Nikšić, suspected of having participated in foreign armed formations on the battlefield in Ukraine in the past two years.
The police suspect that the two of them acted as part of pro-Russian units in the area of Luhansk region, which, according to current regulations, committed the crime of participating in a foreign armed formation.
The operation was carried out at a total of 13 locations in Danilovgrad, Nikšić and Podgorica, where police teams entered apartments, auxiliary buildings and a law office. 24 firearms, more than a thousand bullets of different calibers, several types of cold weapons, as well as military uniforms and insignia of pro-Russian formations were found.
Communication devices, documents of foreign countries and propaganda material, as well as financial documents were also confiscated - among them an account with around 1,5 million euros, which the police suspect comes from war engagements in Ukraine.
According to operational data, during 2023 and 2024, Savić and Braletić stayed in conflict zones several times, and the police believe that they were part of a network that recruits and logistically supports the departure of citizens of the region to the battlefield in Ukraine. Security services of the Western Balkans have been monitoring such networks for years as one of the most significant risks, especially in the context of returnees with foreign combat experience, who represent the potential for radicalization and criminal activities.
In 2023, Montenegro tightened the penalties for participation in foreign armed formations, so this crime carries a prison sentence of up to ten years. The police department announced that actions like today's will continue, as the region continues to face recruitment attempts for the war in Ukraine, as well as other hotspots.
The arrested Savić and Braletić will be brought to the Higher State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica, which will decide on the proposal for detention. The police order to analyze the collected digital evidence, as well as traces of communication with persons from abroad, in order to determine whether there are additional participants in the network connected to the fighting in Luhansk.
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