Disinformation surrounds terms of Serbian Rafale deal
September 9, 2024
Serbia’s €2.7 billion ($3 billion) purchasehttps://aerospaceglobalnews.com/news/rafales-for-serbia/ of 12 French Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft (nine single-seat Rafale C fighters and three two-seat Rafale-Bs) marked a distinct shift away from procuring arms from Russia. It was greeted by France’s President Emmanuel Macron as being “historic and important,” and as showing Serbia’s “strategic courage and a true demonstration of European spirit.”
There have been suggestions that the Rafale deal represents only one part of a wider strategy that is aimed at bringing Serbia into the embrace of the EU, membership of which is a Serbian aspiration. This has proved problematic, since little progress has been made towards the democratic reforms that are a precondition for membership of the EU, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s rule has been labelled ‘increasingly autocratic’.
Serbia is also seen by many as being something of a Russian ally, having consistently refused to join international sanctions against Russia following its illegal and barbaric invasion of Ukraine, and having refused to provide any military aid to Kyiv.
The pro-Kremlin ‘Oktagon’ channel on the Russian-owned Telegram cloud-based, cross-platform, social media and instant messaging (IM) service reported that there was a two-way aircraft exchange clause in the Rafale contract, under which the Rafale sale price would be reduced by €400 million ($443 million) in return for the transfer of some of Serbia’s 36 Soviet-supplied MiG-29 fighter aircraft to Ukraine. This claim always seemed unlikely since Serbia operates only 14 MiG-29s, four of them inherited from Yugoslavia, six purchased from Russia and four from Belarus.
Despite this, the claim was subsequently reposted by Russia’s Institute of International Political and Economic Strategies (RUSSTRAT) and was then spread further by pro-Russian Serbian media outlets. Serbia’s acquisition of the Rafale angered Moscow, since it marked another example of Belgrade turning to the West for new equipment, following the 2023 order for the Airbus C295 medium tactical transport aircraft.
Bratislav Gašić, Serbia’s Defence Minister, called the claim: “yet another egregious lie and falsehood, the sole purpose of which is to cast a shadow over the acquisition of 12 brand new fourth-generation Rafale multi-role combat aircraft.”
Gašić also pointed out that Sebia’s MiG-29s had been modernised and would play an important role in Serbia’s defense for the foreseeable future, and that the Rafale was being bought to add to and strengthen the existing capabilities of the Serbian armed forces and not to replace the MiG-29s. “The MiGs that Serbia owns are Serbian and we will never give them to anyone,” he added.
