According to the court ruling in Chisinau, part of the preparations for violent unrest in Moldova took place outside the territory of this country, specifically in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The court ruling shows that the trainings were mainly held in Bosnia and Herzegovina during 2024, while Serbia served as a transit country for the participants.
Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are continuing investigations into allegations of Russian paramilitary training camps for combat and tactical training, which are suspected of being intended to incite unrest in Moldova. In Serbia, investigations are continuing into a camp that was discovered in September 2025, in a hotel facility called “Suncana Reka”, near the Drina River, in the west of the country. Two suspects in this case have been released from custody. Authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have also opened a case into trainings that are suspected of having taken place on the territory of this country during 2024. And, for organizing these trainings in Bosnia and Serbia during 2024, a court in Moldova has convicted three people.
Moldovan authorities have twice claimed that destabilizing training was being organized in the Western Balkans, which they say was coordinated by Russia. The first time, before the presidential elections and the referendum on Moldova’s membership in the European Union in 2024, they said that the training was conducted by people linked to the Russian mercenary groups, Ferma and Wagner. The second time, in September 2025, shortly before the parliamentary elections, in which pro-European forces won a majority, Moldovan authorities said that most of the suspects had been trained in Serbia, as part of a plan allegedly coordinated by Russia. A few days after these allegations, authorities in Serbia arrested two Serbian citizens.
Official statements from the Serbian Police and Prosecutor’s Office did not mention Russia, but Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said authorities had found three Russian nationals in a camp. After the arrests, local residents told Radio Free Europe that the men from the camp had been visiting local shops, speaking mostly Russian, and were initially thought to be athletes. Russia has denied interfering in Moldova’s election process, while Moldova accuses it of hybrid warfare, including a disinformation campaign and illegal financing of pro-Russian parties.
WHAT DO THE PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE AND THE COURT IN SERBIA SAY?
The case of the combat-tactical training camp for Moldovan and Romanian citizens, discovered in western Serbia in September 2025, is still in the investigation phase. “The suspects have been questioned, witnesses have been interviewed and the necessary expertise is currently being carried out,” the High Public Prosecutor’s Office in Šabac told Radio Free Europe. The prosecution is investigating two defendants: Lazar Popović from Belgrade and Savo Stevanović from Loznica. According to the High Court in Šabac, on February 6, Popović’s pre-trial detention was replaced with a bail measure, while Stevanović was released on October 17, after questioning witnesses. Branislav Manić, Popović’s former defense attorney, previously told BIRN that Popović, during police questioning, had remained silent. The Supreme Court’s response states that the prosecution charges the defendants with the criminal offense of organizing participation in war or armed conflict. This criminal offense is punishable by a prison sentence of two to ten years.
Stevanović’s lawyer, Miodrag Terzić, has stated that he has denied the charges against him. Terzić told Radio Free Europe that “the defense considers that there is no evidence” against Stevanović. “He has only been to the ‘Sunčana reka’ facility two or three times, quite informally, for coffee with friends,” Terzić said. According to him, he also met the main suspect, Lazar Popović, who was a friend of his.
The Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, following the arrest of Popović and Stevanović, announced that it is suspected that the combat-tactical training they organized was intended to provide physical resistance to the Moldovan Police in the event of unrest on election day. According to these allegations, Popović is suspected of organizing and financing the training, while Stevanović is accused of assisting him in its implementation. According to the suspicions, the training took place between July 16 and September 12 and involved between 150 and 170 citizens of Moldova and Romania. Lazar Popović was an advisor to the former pro-Russian Minister of Innovation in Serbia, Nenad Popović, while Savo Stevanović was initially a member of Popović’s Serbian People’s Party (SNP), and then of the “Zdrava Srbija” party, which is part of the ruling coalition.
THE PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA HAS RECEIVED INFORMATION FROM MOLDOVA
The Bosnia and Herzegovina Prosecutor’s Office opened a case in the summer of 2025 regarding trainings held on its territory in 2024, but no further details have been released so far. The prosecutor’s office told Radio Free Europe that it had received some documentation from Moldova in response to a request for information. “After a long period, we have certain documents from Moldova, which have been sent for translation in order to be analyzed in detail. Then, further steps will be decided,” the statement said. The Chisinau court’s verdict does not directly mention citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina who participated in these activities.
Serbian media reported in October 2024 that the Security and Information Agency (BIA), in cooperation with the police, had disrupted several illegal activities at a property near Kucevo, in northeastern Serbia. According to these reports, four drones with tracking devices, drone-catching equipment, “Starlink” equipment for establishing satellite communications, radio links, phosphorus and other flammable liquids, as well as watches that were – most likely – used to activate incendiary materials were found at that location. The BIA and the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs did not respond to RFE/RL’s inquiries regarding the allegations of training camps organized in Serbia during 2024.
WHAT DO THE DETAILS OF THE JUDGMENT IN MOLDOVA REVEAL?
According to the court ruling in Chisinau, part of the preparations for violent unrest in Moldova took place outside the territory of this country, specifically in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The court ruling shows that the trainings were held mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina during 2024, while Serbia served as a transit country for the participants. On February 6, the court in Chisinau sentenced Aliona Gotco, Ludmila Costenco and Vladimir Harcevnitsov to prison for participating in an organized criminal group that, during 2024, planned and prepared massive violent unrest in Moldova. These activities included training and logistical support, carried out abroad. According to the ruling, Bosnia and Herzegovina played a central role as a training site, with activities taking place in several locations.
The court documents specifically mention the area of Gllamočan, where an improvised camp was set up in a forested and isolated area, consisting of barracks and tents. The camp was located outside residential areas, without public signs and without data on land ownership. In the verdict, the court did not specify who owned the used space. According to the testimonies, the participants traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina in an organized manner, mainly through Serbia. They were initially settled in Banja Luka and then transported by vehicles to a forest area where the camp was located. The transport was carried out by people who spoke Russian, while some of them, according to the testimonies, were of Bulgarian origin.
The court found that Aliona Gotco, Ludmila Costenco and Vladimir Harcevnicov spent several visits to Bosnia and Herzegovina from early August to mid-October 2024, where they participated in theoretical and practical training. According to the verdict, the training included the use of FPV drones, their connection to command centers, aerial reconnaissance within attack groups, and simulations of dropping explosive devices via drones.
DETAILS FOR TRAINING IN SERBIA
According to the judgment of the Court in Chisinau and the testimonies of witnesses, Serbia is mentioned as one of the countries where the members of the group stayed and underwent training, but also as a transit point on the Moldova – Serbia – Bosnia and Herzegovina route. The court has found that the convicts, as well as other persons involved, traveled through Serbia on their way to training and that during 2024 they stopped in this country several times. Although the judgment does not specify exact locations in Serbia, nor cities or addresses, Serbia is treated as part of the logistical and operational chain, where the members of the group gathered, rested, reorganized and continued communication with coordinators abroad. According to the testimonies, during their stay in Serbia, they were in constant contact with the Russian citizen, Vladimir Firsov, who gave them further instructions and informed them that the final destination was Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the searches, Serbian dinar banknotes, as well as equipment and documents confirming their movement and stay in Serbia, were found on the defendants. The verdict emphasizes that Serbia was used as a transit country for entry into Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also as a route for return. (RFE)