Serbia Factory Explosion Raises Alarms Over Russian Terror Tactics
An explosion at the Krušik munitions plant in Valjevo this morning has triggered not only local concern but also renewed international attention to Serbia and the increasing pressure it faces from the Kremlin. Officials from many countries are calling for a more unified stance against what they describe as Russia’s “state-sponsored international terrorism.”
According to factory officials, the blast occurred at approximately 7:40 a.m. during the pressing of PETN, a powerful military explosive. At least seven people have been hospitalized.
“We are conducting a full internal investigation and have temporarily suspended operations in the affected unit,” said Marko Petrović, a spokesperson for Krušik.
But while the incident appears to have been contained, it has raised broader questions about the security of Serbian defense infrastructure.
Threats from Moscow
Krušik, a state-linked arms producer, has been quietly implicated in the complex web of weapons transfers that have helped supply Ukrainian forces resisting Russia’s full-scale invasion. Although Serbia officially bans direct arms sales to active warzones, investigations have shown that Serbian-made weapons — including mortar shells and rockets — have reached Ukraine via intermediaries in countries such as Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland.
Russian Foreign Ministry officials have repeatedly accused Serbia of “duplicity” and warned of “consequences” if it continues to support what the Kremlin calls the “NATO proxy war” against Russia.
In March, Russian state television aired a segment naming Krušik specifically, referring to it as “a symbol of betrayal in the Balkans.”
Russia’s Global Terror Tactics
While Serbian authorities have not suggested foul play in Friday’s explosion, some Western security analysts say the timing and target should not be dismissed as coincidence.
“We’ve seen this before — in the Czech Republic, in Bulgaria, even in the UK,” said Dr. Andrei Sokolov, a senior analyst with the European Security Council.
“Russia uses sabotage and covert action to punish countries that step out of line, especially when it comes to arms support for Ukraine. Serbia would not be immune.”
Indeed, comparisons have already been drawn to the 2014 explosions at a Czech ammunition depot, which killed two people. Czech police confirmed that Russian GRU agents were behind the explosions, as well as a string of poisonings and attacks targeting arms dealers and factories across Eastern Europe.
For Serbia, the explosion highlights the tightrope walk it has been attempting for years: balancing its ties with Russia against its aspirations for EU membership and regional stability.
As investigations continue in Valjevo, one thing is clear: this was more than an industrial accident. It was a spark that illuminated a much larger fire smoldering beneath the surface of Balkan geopolitics.
