Serbia’s president accuses Russia of spying

Serbia’s president confirmed a video of a Russian spy bribing a former Serbia officer is authentic but said that the espionage scandal would not impact close bilateral relations.

President Aleksandar Vucic’s remarks to reporters came after he convened a National Security Council meeting over a video posted on November 18 on YouTube that shows Lt. Col. Georgy Kleban, a former assistant military attache at Russia’s embassy in Belgrade, handing a bag to a retired Serb officer.

The video shows the Serbian officer, identified by Vucic as only Z.K., take an envelope out of the bag and count money in his car.

Vucic said the video was filmed in December 2018. He said Kleban was recorded 10 times in similar situations, in three cases involving money handouts.

Vucic added that the Russian case was not unique, with Serbia a “target of fierce intelligence activities from many countries,” including Austria, Germany and Bulgaria.

The Russian intelligence officer is no longer in Serbia, Vucic said.

Via DW