BIRN Reveals Identity of Serbian Man Arrested With Drone at Hungarian Border

One of the two men arrested in June with a drone and explosives near Serbia’s border with Hungary is a 35-year-old man from Belgrade who lives in St. Petersburg, BIRN reports. The man, identified by the initials Danilo B., has appeared at gatherings hosted by a Russian Foreign Ministry-backed foundation.

According to a biography published on social media, Danilo B. studied political science and economics in Belgrade before graduating from a state university in St. Petersburg in advertising and public relations. He took part in debates organized by the Alexander Gorchakov Foundation for the Support of Public Diplomacy, a Russian state institution founded by the country’s Foreign Ministry.

Danilo B. and the other detainee, identified as Slobodan Đ., were arrested on June 11 while traveling in separate cars toward the Hungarian border. A drone was found in Danilo B.’s Peugeot. Investigators also found two metal containers in a concealed compartment of Slobodan Đ.’s Volvo. A source familiar with the case told BIRN that subsequent testing found the containers held explosive material. The men have been in custody since June 12.

Their arrest is linked to a wider investigation. On April 5, Serbian military and police officials found two black backpacks containing about four kilograms of explosives in the Kanjiža municipality, several hundred meters from a gas pipeline carrying Russian gas to northern Serbia and Hungary. The Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Subotica recently said it was investigating seven people suspected of securing and storing explosives, explosive devices and drones in Serbia before transferring them toward EU countries at prearranged locations.

Two of the initials listed by prosecutors match those of the men arrested at the Hungarian border. German investigators are also examining their possible links to suspects in an attempted drone attack on an airport in Leipzig. BIRN said it knows the men’s full identities but chose not to publish them.