Military analyst flees Serbia, alleges government surveillance and manipulation

Military analyst Aleksandar Radić has fled Serbia, citing pressure and surveillance after he publicly discussed the alleged use of a "sound cannon" during a protest. Radić told DW that he decided to leave the country after being summoned for questioning and seeing state-aligned media publish footage of him being followed, which included his minor daughter.

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They tried to portray everything as part of some political-intelligence game, a simple task – a father picking up his daughter. They created a picture from which there was no way out. I told my daughter what to do, and we left Serbia.

"They tried to portray everything as part of some political-intelligence game, a simple task – a father picking up his daughter. They created a picture from which there was no way out. I told my daughter what to do, and we left Serbia," Radić explained. He believes the Military Security Agency (VBA) is behind the surveillance and has become a powerful tool for President Aleksandar Vučić.

Radić described the VBA as "deeply embedded in the civilian sector" and called its chief, Đuro Jovanić, a "kapo di tuti kapi" – a term implying ultimate authority. "It's simply a lost game in which that man and his associates would ensure I wasn't free," Radić added, suggesting he felt his freedom was at risk.

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The VBA has deeply infiltrated the civilian sector. They are now the right hand of Aleksandar Vučić.

Officially, the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade is investigating suspicions that the "sound cannon" incident was staged. Several journalists and opposition politician Zdravko Ponoš have been questioned. Ponoš suggested to DW that the government is attempting to distract from its own problems by fabricating a narrative of internal threats. "Their slogan now is not that Vučić is winning, but that 'Serbia is winning.' For them to defend Serbia, everyone else must be a terrorist. Since they couldn't handle the students, and certainly not the opposition, they want to brand us all as destroyers of the constitutional order," Ponoš stated.

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It's simply a lost game in which that man and his associates would ensure I wasn't free.

Radić agrees that the government aims to divert public attention from the alleged use of the weapon to who supposedly fabricated the story. "This is a hybrid warfare tactic that the government is waging against the majority of public opinion and preparing for elections. You want to go into elections? Then you must eliminate many unpleasant events that have influenced public opinion," Radić said. He anticipates being portrayed as a foreign agent or involved in domestic terrorism.

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Their slogan now is not that Vučić is winning, but that 'Serbia is winning.' For them to defend Serbia, everyone else must be a terrorist.