Petar Boskovic criticizes introduction of military service in Serbia as a political move and "smoke screen" for Kosovo issues

"There is another problem – the government refuses to admit that it has ruined the military, especially in a moral sense. With 13,000 people leaving the military in the past five years, those who remain must take on the duties of those who have left. This means the training of soldiers is poor, and despite this, the SNS (Serbian Progressive Party) plans to introduce mandatory military service to fill the vacant positions," Boskovic said to Nova.rs.

In his view, the Serbian Army was not meaningfully consulted on this decision, "otherwise, someone from the military would have already spoken up and shared their opinion."

"Voluntary military service is currently six months – so, it's clear that this decision on mandatory service is, at the very least, schizophrenic. Furthermore, if mandatory military service is truly introduced, where will all these people be housed, and how will they be trained? It’s no longer possible, like before, to accommodate 50 people in one dormitory," Boskovic added, claiming this was a political move, not a military one.

Regarding the purchase of 12 "Rafale" aircraft from France, Boskovic said it serves the same purpose for Vucic as the purchase of air defense systems from China, helicopters from Germany, and armored vehicles from Russia.

"It’s an attempt to sit on multiple chairs at once, a policy aimed solely at ensuring the SNS remains in power and receives continued support," Boskovic noted.

Speaking on arms exports to Ukraine, Boskovic said that exporting weapons and ammunition means taking a side in the conflict.

"There is hypocrisy in Serbia’s relationship with Russia – we aren’t imposing sanctions on Russia, but at the same time, we’re selling ammunition to Ukraine. Diplomatically, all of this is for the benefit of President Aleksandar Vucic," Boskovic concluded.