The Serbian government funds the Association of Red Berets Veterans – an organization that brings together former members of the disbanded special unit of Serbia's State Security – with money from the state budget.
Some of the members of this unit have participated in war crimes and have been convicted of liquidating political opponents.
According to an analysis by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Balkan Service, this association has been allocated 23.000 euros in the last two years through competitions run by the Serbian Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs alone.
The Red Beret Veterans Association has received funding in all competitions in the field of veterans' protection, implemented by the Ministry of Labor since the moment when Millica Đurđević Stamenkovski was appointed as its head.
Djordjevic Stamenkovski is the leader of the far-right party "Zavetnici" and became part of the government in Serbia in 2024, even though her party did not pass the electoral threshold in the elections at that time.
The Ministry of Labor did not respond to Radio Free Europe's questions about what specifically the allocated funds were spent on and what the public interest is in financing the projects of the Red Beret Veterans Association with budget money.
The Red Beret Veterans Association did not respond either.
"When you take a unit like this and produce heroes from it, while knowing its 'way of war', one has to ask oneself what values this government promotes," Filip Shvarm, editor-in-chief of the Serbian weekly "Vreme" and author of a documentary about the Special Operations Unit, tells Radio Free Europe.
Who were the Red Berets?
The Special Operations Unit, better known as the Red Berets, was founded by the Serbian State Security Service, led by Jovica Stanisic – one of the closest associates of the then-president of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic.
His right-hand man was Franko Simatović.
Stanisic and Simatovic were sentenced in The Hague in 2023 to 15 years in prison each for aiding and abetting war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992.
The Special Operations Unit, under this name, also participated in the war in Kosovo during 1998-1999.
At that time, Simatović appointed Milorad Ulemek, known as Legija, as its commander.
The unit was disbanded in 2003 during the police operation "Sablja".
Several of its members have been convicted of political murders – including the assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic on March 12, 2003; the assassination of former Serbian Presidency President Ivan Stambolić in August 2000; the assassination of four officials of the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) in October 1999; and the attempted assassination of SPO leader Vuk Drašković in Budva in 2000.
What does the Ministry finance?
According to data from the Serbian Business Register Agency, the Red Beret Veterans Association was established in 2019.
Public data on her activity shows that she had her first income in 2021, when a total of 4.800 euros was reported.
The association generated the largest amount of revenue in 2024, in the amount of 29.000 euros.
Data on the amount of donations collected for 2025 has not yet been published.
From the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, in 2024 and 2025, the association benefited from 11.500 euros per year - a total of 23.000 euros - according to the ministry's reports.
Public records do not indicate from what other sources her income originates.
The Minister of Labor, Millica Đurđević Stamenkovski, approved funding for the Red Beret Veterans Association, for the purpose of organizing the Comprehensive Veterans Tournament, as well as for the implementation of the projects "The Position of Fighters in Today's Society" and "The Oath of Freedom".
The All-Inclusive Veterans Tournament is a sports competition for veterans, organized by the Association once a year and, in addition to donations from the Ministry of Labor, has previously been supported by the Government of Vojvodina.
Radio Free Europe contacted the Government of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina regarding the allocation of funds for this association, but, by the time of publication of this article, had not received a response.
For the projects of the Red Berets Veterans Association – “Oath of Freedom” and “Position of Fighters in Today's Society” – which were funded with 10.000 euros from the budget, there is no public information available on what exactly they include, whether they were implemented and when they were implemented.
Reports on the implementation of these projects have not even been published in the competition documentation of the relevant Ministry.
At the end of 2022, the association erected a monument to former Red Berets member Nikola Simić in the Busije neighborhood of Belgrade.
Who is the head of the association?
The legal representative of the Red Berets Association is Živorad Žika Ivanović, a former member of the Special Operations Unit, who, as can be seen in a video from May 1997, reported to the then president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milošević, at a ceremony marking the establishment of the Unit in Kulla, in northwestern Serbia.
Although his name was mentioned in the trial of former heads of the Serbian State Security Service, Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic, no legal proceedings were conducted against Ivanovic either before international courts or within Serbia.
Veterans in defense of power
Ivanovic was last in the public spotlight in March 2025, when he led veterans of the Special Operations Unit at a camp in Belgrade's Pioneer Park.
There, for more than a year, supporters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party gathered – including several people with criminal records.
"It's particularly perverse that they showed up there a few days before the anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic," says Shvarm.
In addition to Žika Ivanović, the veterans at the Pioneer Park in Belgrade were also led by the former commander of the Serbian Gendarmerie, Goran Radosavljevic Guri, whom the United States links to the murder of the Bytyqi brothers after the war in Kosovo in 1999.
The ruling party in Serbia stated at the time that it sees no problem with their presence at rallies in support of President Aleksandar Vučić and the current government.
Veterans of the Special Operations Unit have also become regular participants in events organized by the ruling party – from marking the anniversaries of historical events to ceremonies on the occasion of the days of Belgrade municipalities.
In December 2025, they were guests of the Ministry of Labor and, as they announced on their Instagram profile, participated in a working meeting on the topic "Further Improvement of the Position of Veterans".
Minister Djordjevic Stamenkovski was also photographed with them.
Djordjevic Stamenkovski, as the leader of the far-right party "Zavetnici", was in opposition until 2024.
With the formation of the new Government of Serbia in May 2024, she took the post of Minister of Family Care, while in the current Government she heads the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs.
In February 2024, the then Minister of Defense of Serbia and the leader of the Serbian Progressive Party, Miloš Vučević, visited the stand of the Red Beret Veterans Association at a fair in Novi Sad.
The association, at that time, participated in the "Homeland Fair" event, organized by the Fund for Displaced Persons and for Cooperation with Serbs in the Region, with the support of the Government of Vojvodina.
On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of its founding, several veterans of the Special Operations Unit organized a commemorative ceremony on May 4, where, on behalf of the former members of this unit, Vasilije Mijović expressed gratitude to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, saying that with his coming to power, "the unit's glory has been restored."
"Always count on us to lead our homeland for a long time. Serbia has not had such a visionary leader for a long time," said Mijovic, adding that "the collegium has decided to give the president the nickname 'Alexander the Great'."
"This is a message directed towards the strongest nationalist part of the Serbian Progressive Party's electorate," Shvarm assesses.
Photos published on the Instagram profile of the Red Beret Veterans Association show that Mijovic has been part of this association's delegation at several events since the beginning of this year.
Mijovic is a former Montenegrin secret police officer. As a member of paramilitary formations operating in Bosnia and Croatia, he participated in the wars in the former Yugoslavia.
His role in the conflicts of the 90s has also been discussed at the Hague Tribunal, where witnesses have described him as participating in inhumane acts against civilians, as well as in criminal activities.
Mijovic was not tried for his role in the war before either domestic or international courts. /REL
