A lot happens while Alexander Vulin goes to the salary of the president of the Supervisory Board of the Public Enterprise "Srbijagas".
Just a few days earlier, he himself invented the sanctions that the European Union was allegedly preparing for him. On May 11, at 18:41 p.m., he announced that the EU had prevented him from crossing the border of their countries, only to deny himself at 18:52 p.m. and explain that Hungary and Slovakia vetoed the secret ballot. The EU said that "Mr. Vulin is not subject to the restrictive measures of the European Union".
A few days later, he got a position in "Srbijagas", a company that is dependent on Russian energy companies and does business exclusively with them.
It seems that they did not frame Vulina enough for this position sanctions that were already imposed on him by the United States of America in 2023, so he had to invent those of the EU as well.
"Vulin proved that he is a Russian friend through a personal sacrifice, by being on the list of sanctions, why should they change the winning combination now," energy analyst Miodrag Kapor tells "Vreme".
They want to replace Bajatović or prepare him for the NIS
However, it is not clear, the sources of "Vremena" explain, why Vulin would go to "Srbijagas", when they already have Dusan Bajatovic. He is personal friends with Alexei Miller, the director of Gazprom, which has controlled Russia's entire energy sector for more than a decade.
"The Russians don't need more people in the same company, but theirs in different strategically important companies or ministries, that's why it's illogical that both of the main Russian people are now in one place," says the editorial source. "One option is that the Russians want to replace Bajatović, and the other is that they are preparing Vulin for an important position in Serbia's energy sector."
While Vulin is choosing a suit for the Supervisory Board of Srbijagas, Serbia is waiting for negotiations with Russia on the gas arrangement, which should be valid for at least several years. Dušan Bajatović announced that he could be signed even for ten years, and he promises, as always, cheaper raw materials at a special brotherly price.
"During this time, disinformation is again spreading in Serbia that we cannot survive and survive the winter without cheap Russian gas," adds Kapor.
"Data from the EU shows that their members have reduced the use of Russian gas by a third since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Here, it is also possible to do this with energy efficiency, by giving people loans, but really favorable ones, for new doors and windows. Instead, we give them loans to connect to the gas network and thus become even more dependent on Russia. In Denmark, the same loans are given to people - to get off the gas."
Novi Bajatović at NIS
The energy field of Serbia has been shaking for several months without the involvement of Aleksandar Vulin. America has partially imposed sanctions on Serbia's oil industry, but the complete package is pending, until the more important relationship between America and Russia is resolved.
As it turned out that the cordiality between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump regarding the truce in Ukraine is on serious hold, "Vremen" sources think that the sanctions against NIS will wait until this diplomatic knot is untangled.
"Vulin probably wouldn't be able to head the NIS because the sanctions he has in America are still in force, but there could be some important Russian man from the shadows, whom they would leave behind, even if they withdrew from the NIS," they added.
"Old sanctions"
On July 11, the Ministry of Finance of the United States put Vulin on the sanctions list, while he was still the director of the Security and Information Agency of Serbia, due to alleged corruption and involvement in drug trafficking, as well as ties to Russia.
Just two months later, Banjska happened, when the Kosovo Police was attacked in the north of Kosovo, and again a month later, Vulin was forced to resign as head of the BIA. American officials also confirmed that he had to leave the BIA because of Banjska.
