A large group of individuals dressed in military attire and red berets gathered today at Pionirski Park in Belgrade to express solidarity with those opposing the university blockade. The N1 editorial team recognized several attendees as members of the “Red Berets,” according to the media outlet’s reports.

Leading the veterans who came out in support of the students was Goran Radosavljević Guri, a retired police colonel and the last commander of the Special Police Units, as well as the inaugural commander of the Gendarmerie. His name has surfaced in connection with the 1999 Račak operation in Kosovo and the murder case of the Bytyći brothers, American citizens and KLA members. Since 2010, he has been affiliated with the Serbian Progressive Party.

In videos shared on the social media platform “X,” an elderly man using a cane drew significant attention as he marched alongside Guri leading the veterans. This individual is Živojin Ivanović, also known as Žika Crnogorac, who is believed by some to be the first commander of the “Red Berets” after Captain Dragan.

Žika Crnogorac fought in the conflicts of the former Yugoslavia and retired with the title of colonel. In 1997, Ivanović was present at the unit’s formation in front of then-President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) Slobodan Milošević in Kula, a moment captured on video.

Živojin – Žika “Crnogorac” Ivanović was mentioned during a Supreme Defense Council (VSO) meeting of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on August 7, 1992, which was to be attended by three presidents: Dobrica Ćosić (FRY), Slobodan Milošević (Serbia), and Momir Bulatović (Montenegro), reported a Montenegrin portal in November 2020.

Milošević was absent, but the session was graced by the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović, along with Pavle Bulatović, the Federal Minister of the Interior, General Života Panić (Chief of the General Staff), and Pavle Strugar (Commander of the 2nd Army, Podgorica Command). Serbia’s Minister of the Interior Zoran Sokolović was also in attendance.

N1 highlights that during this meeting, based on stenographic notes and the Montenegrin portal’s reporting, Momir Bulatović raised concerns about how paramilitary units “are emboldened and relentlessly seek some protection,” questioning their leadership in the VJ army and their ties to the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Bulatović claimed that “around 350 barrels were distributed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia to the citizens of Pljevlja, among which there are the most modern machine guns.”

On that occasion, Pavle Bulatović remarked that Žika “Crnogorac” Ivanović, the “commander of a special purpose unit” with bases in Ilok and Tikveš in Croatia, was reportedly operating around Pljevlja with a contingent of 20 armed men.

In a May 2017 article titled “Bloody Secrets of the ‘Red Berets’: The Dark Road from Knin to Sarajevo under Milošević’s Command,” Vuk Cvijić discusses the formation of the JSO and its ties to the Serbian State Security Service, mentioning Ivanović as a key member of the DB.

“Upon arrival in Knin, the ‘red beret’ became the symbol, an informal designation for members of the unit, regardless of its official name at the time. A commander, known only by his codename: Captain Dragan (Vasiljković), was appointed. In addition to Vasiljković, significant DB figures like Dragan Filipović – Major Fića and Živojin Ivanović – Žika Crnogorac also arrived in Knin, with oversight from Franko Simatović Frenki and the Serbian DB,” Cvijić notes in his piece.

Žika “Crnogorac” Ivanović’s name gained notoriety during the trials of former heads of the Serbian State Security Service (SDB), Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović, who were charged with crimes including persecution, murder, and the forced transfer of civilians during the wars in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina—offenses allegedly perpetrated by paramilitary groups like the “Red Berets,” operating under the Serbian SDB.

The indictment states that the Red Berets in Doboj were under the command of Živojin Ivanović, better known as Žika Crnogorac, a significant figure within the Special Operations Unit of the Serbian State Security Service. Although Žika Crnogorac did not face trial, he is referenced in the indictment as the commander of the Red Berets, who reportedly killed Bosniak and Croat prisoners in that area in 1992.

Sources suggest that Živojin Žika Crnogorac relocated to Canada following the fall of Slobodan Milošević’s regime.

Another individual identified by N1 in Pionirski Park is Željko Benak. Besides being a member of the Serbian Progressive Party, Benak owns four active companies, although the fifth is currently bankrupt. All four active businesses face account freezes due to substantial debts.

The company “Line power doo” has been under a financial block since March 2020, featuring the largest debt, exceeding two billion dinars. The total liabilities across all four companies amount to approximately three billion dinars.

Public records indicate that “Prodexim doo” alone owes about 997.5 million dinars in taxes.

Benak maintained active social media presence until 2013. On March 12 of that year, marking the tenth anniversary of Zoran Đinđić’s assassination, he tweeted on “X” (formerly Twitter), “God bless you, my friend Zvezdan Jovanović.”

On the same date, he also wished Ratko Mladić a happy birthday.

The previous year, Benak noted his affiliation with the SNS as being due to interactions with then-Minister Aleksandar Vučić and Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić.

Among the so-called veterans, or attendees donning the insignia of the Red Berets, there are individuals whose ages suggest they could never have served in that unit. Social media users have identified Aleksa Paunović among these individuals, alleging he was photographed during the 2017 inauguration of President Aleksandar Vučić while confronting journalists. N1 was unable to confirm if he is indeed the same person.

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