Endless columns of tanks have been rumbling down the boulevards, and fighter jets and helicopters have been flying overhead since the early morning.
For many in Belgrade, the scenes in the capital are more reminiscent of war footage than of preparations for a military parade.
For the second week in a row, the main streets of Belgrade have been blocked for rehearsals for the military event dubbed “Strength of Unity,” which is due to take place this Saturday in front of the Palace of Serbia, an imposing government building in the capital.
There is a lack of enthusiasm for the parade among citizens. Many are complaining about the difficulties they are experiencing getting around the city.
Boulevards and main roads are repeatedly being closed and reopened; drivers are getting stuck in traffic jams, while pedestrians are frustrated at having to weave through lines of military vehicles while crossing the street.
Huge parade
The parade marks the Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom and the National Flag, a public holiday introduced in 2020 on the initiative of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik.
Although the holiday itself is on September 15, the authorities decided that the central event should be held five days later.
According to officials, around 6,000 members of the Serbian Armed Forces will participate in the parade with another 4,000 engaged in logistics and technical support.
During the procession, new types of weapons and combat vehicles will be presented, and soldiers will unfurl a 300-meter-long (985 feet) tricolor flag.
A warning to the region?
“The need to display so much equipment is infantile,” military analyst Aleksandar Radic told DW. “It’s not about showing an optimal amount, but a huge amount. The goal is to make it look massive, to create the impression that there’s a lot of everything. Instead of showing five pieces of equipment, they show 40–50. So, you’ll see both equipment bought in the 1970s and more recent acquisitions.”
According to Radic, the most significant weapon on display at the parade will be from Israel, which has become Serbia’s main source of arms.
Israeli media reported last month that Belgrade has signed a contract worth $1.64 billion (€1.39 billion) with Israeli company Elbit Systems. This accounts for 70% of Serbia’s total defense budget for 2025.
Serbia recently took delivery from Israel of the new PULS multiple rocket launcher, which has a range of up to 300 kilometers (186 miles). Radic expects this system to be on display, too.
“If such a system is displayed, the region will, of course, shudder, because it will be recognized as a direct threat from Vucic to others because it is a system that allows Serbia to reach Zagreb from forward firing positions,” said Radic.
The domestic purpose of the parade
DW sources agreed, however, that the primary function of this year’s parade is a domestic, political one.
It comes at a time when citizens have been protesting against corruption for more than ten months, seeking justice for the 16 victims of the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse.
DW sources say that given the political atmosphere in the country, the parade’s main goal is to demonstrate the state’s strength and intimidate citizens with a demonstration of military might.
“The very fact that someone thought to call it ‘Strength of Unity’ speaks for itself,” said Aleksandar Radic. “The authorities crave unity precisely because it doesn’t exist. A government that has led to a completely divided society, to an extreme division of Serbs into two sides — those who support the protests and those who oppose them — wants a symbol of unity. And since the army has traditionally been an institution of trust, they are literally trying to create a symbol of that unity through the military,” he explained.
Vuk Vuksanovic of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy says that such tactics have elements of the surreal.
“The army in Serbia has indeed played a historical role as a significant political factor, but it has never been known as an effective instrument in suppressing internal political unrest,” he told DW.
‘A message to everyone’
Serbian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Milan Mojsilovic rejected criticism that the military parade intimidates citizens and threatens neighbors, calling this criticism “manipulation.”
“The parade will send a message to everyone — joy and celebration for friends and allies, and probably anger and anxiety for others,” said Mojsilovic.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also said ahead of the parade that two newly formed military alliances — one between Croatia, Albania and Kosovo, and another between Croatia and Slovenia — are directed against Serbia.
“They have strong backing from NATO. Bulgaria is expected to join them as well. And we must not be blind; similar alliances were formed in exactly the same way before major wars. We must be aware of someone’s intentions, because this was not done to eat shrimp, but to act directly against the interests of the Serbian people,” Vucic said.
Vuksanovic points out that these alliances are far from traditional military coalitions preparing for attack and added that President Vucic has been using military parades for international purposes for quite some time.
“His message has usually been: ‘I am strong. Balkan security depends on me. You have to negotiate with me and take me seriously as a partner,'” Vuksanovic told DW.
“It is evident that Serbia is not part of these security initiatives primarily for political reasons,” said Vuksanovic, “but to talk about alliances that will launch an attack on Serbia is pure hyperbole, used in this case for domestic spin.”
A dual message
DW sources say that while publicly accusing the West of conspiring against him and funding protests and blockades, Vucic actually seeks support from these same actors to stay in power. He does this primarily through arms purchases.
“When Serbia buys weapons, it buys political favor from certain countries. The armament and modernization of the army are necessary and not controversial, but that is secondary to the political imperative,” said Radic.
Radic says that a dual message is being sent here: “To leading powers, Serbia is trying to show friendship through joint military activities and arms purchases, while at the same time, Vucic wants to create nervousness in the region and see headlines after the parade emphasizing Serbia’s terrifying power, which is capable of reaching any point in the region with its rockets,” he said.
Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan
