Where is the arms race between Serbia and Croatia leading?

16.September 2026 Vojkan Kostić

Burst for burst, howitzer for howitzer, rocket for rocket

At the beginning of September, Croatia announced that it had ordered a division of 18 self-propelled multi-barrel K239 rocket launchers from South Korea and that it had entered into an agreement on the modernization of 12 French Rafale aircraft, for which the taxpayers of that country will allocate slightly more than 656 million euros. This brought the arms race with Serbia, which has been going on for a decade with ups and downs, to its culmination. Now the expert public is wondering what the official Belgrade or Zagreb could order additionally, considering that in that period, following each other, they modernized practically all aspects of the armed forces. An even more important question is - where will they find the money for it, bearing in mind that billions of euros have already been spent on both sides

Aleksandar Vučić

Arms

28.May 2026. IN THE

Vučić on Serbia's weapons: Some tried to blackmail us

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, said during his visit to China that Serbia had previously been subject to conditions in the negotiations on the procurement of military equipment, while, as he said, the Chinese partners had not done so.

Research

09.march 2026 Christoph Strak (DW)

Europe's fear of war: Record armament

Europe is currently in first place in the world in terms of arms imports, which has tripled, and in Poland it has increased by as much as 852 percent. The market reflects the growing fear of war among Europeans, according to research by the Stockholm Institute for Peace Research

Aleksandar Vučić at the Munich Security Conference

Aleksandar Vučić

14.February 2026. Bojan Bednar

Vučić is playing a great geostrategist again

Conveying his impressions on the occasion of the Munich Security Conference, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, said that "everyone says they want peace, but everyone actually wants the defeat of the other side." It is really a paradox, identical to the fact that he advocates for democracy in Serbia, but actually wants to cement his autocracy.

Arms companies have significantly increased their revenues over the past two years. New military equipment was developed, supplies were restored, and destroyed equipment was replaced.

The war in Ukraine

01.December 2025 Christoph Hasselbach (DW)

Wars fill the coffers of arms manufacturers

The war in Ukraine is definitely good for the business of the military industry. Arms companies have significantly increased their revenues over the past two years. New military equipment was developed, supplies were restored, and destroyed equipment was replaced

Germany

16.July 2025 Nemanja Rujevic

Pre-war country

The Germans are preparing for war in fear of the Russians and Trump's insanity. The military industry is rubbing its hands, the army is advertised on pizza boxes, and the people fear both the possible war and the ease with which war is talked about.

The Army of Serbia

23.June 2025 IN THE

Vučić presents to you the "horribly murderous" Serbian Army

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said that the Serbian Armed Forces acquired "super-secret" equipment, so secret that only five people know anything about it. Former Chief of General Staff Zdravko Ponoš tells him that he is ignorant and ignores the laws

SIPRI: Countries are racing again in nuclear arms

Nuclear weapons

16.June 2025 Helen Whittle / DW

DW: Is the risk of nuclear war increasing?

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) warns of a new nuclear arms race as control weakens. Artificial intelligence and space technologies are further changing nuclear capabilities. Who will be the new Colonel Petrov?

NATO Headquarters in Brussels

NATO

05.June 2025 B. B.

Mass arming of NATO countries begins

Long-range weapon systems, defense against air attacks and mobile ground units have priority, and the agreement will be on the agenda of the NATO summit.

Ukraine

02.march 2025 S.Ć.

Von der Leyen: Europe must urgently arm itself 

At a summit on Ukraine in London, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Commission would propose a weapons plan because "we really need to seriously step up our efforts."

Facing the difference: Serbia and Croatia

04.September 2024 Davor Lukacs

An arms race in the Balkan style

Last week, Serbs and Croats were connected by two events - the procurement of 12 Rafal fighter jets, for which Serbia signed the contract, and the return of mandatory military service, which Croatia announced as of January 1 next year, and Serbia has been dragging it out since 2017 for daily political needs. .

Kosovo

13.January 2024 BG

Arming Pristina: A message from the US that Serbia is not a reliable partner

According to Resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council, arming Pristina is illegal, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said. Kurt Basiner, senior associate at the Council for Democratization Policy, believes that this move does not yet show a fundamental rethinking of the West's policy towards Vučić, but that it is an indication that it can be considered.

Measuring military strength

12.January 2024 AI

Arming Belgrade and Pristina: How many tanks, how many "Javelins"

Aleksandar Vučić boasts that Serbia is a tank superpower. America will therefore deliver Javelin anti-tank missiles and accompanying equipment worth 75 million dollars to Kosovo. Arming the Kosovo Security Forces is nothing new