Profitable business! The Ukrainian front is a successful market for Balkan arms manufacturers ᐉ News from Fakti.bg – World

As the war in Ukraine continues, arms manufacturers in the Western Balkans are thriving. The production of weapons has increased several times, writes The Economist.

Since the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, terrorists and gangsters have enjoyed a variety of weapons. Now it is the turn of Western governments. At a time when war is escalating in Ukraine, they are seizing weapons and murderers from the area. Arms manufacturers from the Western Balkans are on the rise. Serbia’s arms exports have quadrupled since 2020, with around €800 million (BGN 1.6 billion) of its arms going to Ukraine after the invasion. Bosnia’s exports in the first four months of 2024 have almost doubled compared to the same period last year. Their weapons factories work around the clock, according to Yasmin Mujanovic of the New Lines Institute for Strategies and Policies, a think tank.

According to The Economist, Serbia’s arms exports have quadrupled since 2020: after Russia invaded Ukraine, Serbia delivered arms worth around 800 million euros. Bosnia’s exports almost doubled in the first four months of 2024 compared to the same period last year. Their munitions factories work around the clock.

These countries are able to produce so many weapons because they once had a large military backed by a large military industrial complex. The remnants of the defense industry are now concentrated in Bosnia and Serbia, which provide more than 90% of the Western Balkans’ arms exports.

According to the publication, of particular interest to Ukraine and its supporters is the ability of the industry to produce weapons and equipment according to Soviet and NATO standards. Also, a Bosnian shell can cost a quarter less than a Western one.

Although both Bosnia and Serbia have laws that prevent them from selling weapons in war zones, these countries have found ways of working through third countries. For example, the main buyer of Bosnian cartridges is the United States, which redirects them to Ukraine. But Serbia, despite its refusal to impose sanctions on Russia, is sending thousands of artillery shells through the Czech Republic, Turkey and front companies. NATO’s Balkan members – Croatia, Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia – donated a significant portion of their stock of old Soviet weapons. However, Croatia is likely to repair used Kuwaiti M-84 tanks (Yugoslav version of the Soviet T-72), which will be sent to Ukraine, adds RBC-Ukraine.

The Economist believes that the production of such weapons for some Balkan governments is an opportunity to gain political trust in America and the European Union. This is especially true for those who want to join the EU, such as Bosnia and Albania. Bosnia’s arms factories, once on the verge of closure, are now at full staff.

As for Serbia, for its president Aleksandar Vucic, selling arms to Ukraine is as much part of the delicate balancing act between the West and Russia as it is good business.