Serbian arms factory explodes after Russian claims of supplying weapons to Ukraine
An explosion rocked the Krušik plant in Serbia (krusik.rs)
An explosion occurred on the morning of May 30 at the Krušik defense factory in the Serbian city of Valjevo. The day before, Russia had accused the plant of supplying weapons to Ukraine, according to Radio Slobodna Evropa's Balkan service and RTS.
The factory's management stated that the explosion occurred at around 7:30 a.m. The cause was identified as the accidental activation of a detonator booster during the pressing of the explosive substance PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate).
As a result of the incident, one factory worker sustained cuts. Four others suffered concussions and reported ringing in their ears. The injured were taken to the hospital for treatment and hearing examinations.
This is not the first explosion at the Krušik factory. Similar incidents occurred in August 2022, in January and May 2023, as well as in August 2024.
Russia's accusations against Serbia
A day earlier, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service claimed that several Serbian defense companies continue to supply ammunition to Ukraine, despite Serbia's policy of military neutrality.
Moscow's list included major companies from Serbia's military-industrial complex, such as Krušik, Yugoimport SDPR, Zenitprom, Sofag, Reyer DTI, Sloboda, Prvi Partizan, among others.
Russia alleges that Serbian factories are using a scheme involving fake end-user certificates and intermediary countries, including the Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria, and various African nations.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić responded to Russia's accusations, stating that "some of the claims made do not correspond to reality."
