Aleksandar Vulin, the Director of the Security and Intelligence Agency of Serbia (BIA), has announced his resignation from his position, citing pressure from the United States and the European Union as a precondition to avoid sanctions on Serbia.
In his statement, Vulin expressed that the US and the EU were urging his resignation in connection with demands such as recognizing Kosovo, relinquishing support for the Republic of Srpska, and imposing sanctions on the Russian Federation. He argued that complying with these demands would compromise Serbia’s sovereignty.
Vulin clarified that his resignation would not alter the policies of the United States and the EU towards Serbia but might temporarily alleviate new demands and pressures. He also voiced his refusal to become involved in any anti-Russian or anti-Serbian sentiments, emphasizing his commitment to the Republic of Srpska’s survival and the belief in the unification of Serbs and the creation of the Serbian world. Vulin also stated his commitment to Serbia’s policy of military neutrality and its relationships with Russia and China.
The timing of Vulin’s resignation coincides with the start of the election campaign for parliamentary elections scheduled for December 17 in Serbia. His resignation was one of the demands put forth by the ongoing “Serbia against Violence” protests, which have lasted for 26 weeks in Serbia.
Back in July, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on Aleksandar Vulin, citing his involvement in corruption within Serbia’s governing institutions and his alleged connection to a drug trafficking ring.
Vulin’s name had also been linked to the “Jovanjica” scandal. This case involved the unauthorized production and release of 1.6 tons of cannabis on the Jovanjica property, owned by Predrag Koluvija, who was arrested in 2019 and officially charged in 2021. A video from 2015 showed Vulin, as Minister of Labor at the time, visiting Jovanjica and participating in agricultural activities to promote employment in agriculture.
Subsequently, it was revealed that members of the security services of the Republic of Serbia had assisted Koluvija in the production and trafficking of drugs. Court proceedings were initiated against these individuals, including members of the Military Intelligence Agency, which fell under the Ministry of Defense, headed by Vulin during that period. Vulin consistently denied any involvement in the Jovanjica case and suggested that its true objective was to force the resignation of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s brother, Andrej Vučić, whose name had been associated with Koluvija’s activities, though he was not officially suspected of wrongdoing.
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