Serbian DefMin denies soldiers turned back on general

Ministarstvo odbrane

Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic on Wednesday denied reports of soldiers turning their backs on a general to protest the death of a sergeant at a recent military exercise.

Sergeant Dejan Stojkovic was killed during final preparations for the Lightning Strike 2021 exercise when his armored vehicle was hit with a banned explosive device which was used to give spectators the impression that the vehicle was endurable. The circumstances of his death were not cleared up by the military even though investigators questioned the survivors and others present during the incident. The soldiers were reported to have turned their backs on their brigade commander, brigadier general Zeljko Kuzmanovic while on parade.

Minister Stefanovic told the pro-government TV Prva that the reports of soldiers turning their backs on the general are fabrications. “That does not happen in the military and someone is demeaning our soldiers with this,” he said. He added that the investigation into Stojkovic’s death is still underway, adding that the public would be informed about its findings.

Stefanovic ended by saying that salaries in the military would be raised this year.