Marko Matović, a Serbian national who volunteered for the Russian army, died in early January during combat in the Kursk region. His burial took place in the Batajnica neighborhood of Belgrade, as reported by right-wing Telegram channels.

Family members shared an obituary on Facebook, referring to his passing as a “heroic death in the Kursk region.”

A segment of the Kursk region in western Russia is currently under Ukrainian control. Since January, Ukrainian forces have been conducting an offensive to prevent the Russian military from reclaiming this territory.

Several pro-Russian Telegram channels, including “Russia in the Heart,” “Serbian Herald,” “Army of the Republika Srpska,” and “Eastern Front,” confirmed the news of Matović’s death.

As per the Serbian Army’s information, Matović was a former member of the 63rd Parachute Brigade, a tactical unit recognized for intelligence gathering and special operations.

Dejan Berić, a Serbian citizen known for having fought alongside pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk, Ukraine, also shared details about Matović’s death. Berić, identified as a key recruiter of Balkan soldiers, stated that Matović joined the “special military operation” in December 2022 as part of the Vukovi unit. Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL) has not yet verified this information.

The Vukovi unit, known as the Wolves, is a volunteer faction within the Russian army, gaining attention for its purported involvement of numerous Serbian mercenaries.

The right-wing group People’s Patrol acknowledged Matović as a comrade from their resistance during the “freedom struggle” amidst the Covid pandemic, and highlighted that he helped “defend the streets of Belgrade from migrant-related incidents.”

The People’s Patrol is a far-right activist group that began its public activities in 2020 and has organized multiple anti-migrant protests across various Serbian cities. Its leader, Damjan Knežević, was apprehended in July 2020 for leading a disturbance at Parliament during an anti-government demonstration related to Covid measures.

Matović’s Facebook profile indicates his employment in the “Russian army” and mentions his relocation to Krasnoyarsk, Russia, in March of the previous year.

It is worth noting that since 2014, participation in foreign conflicts has been a criminal offense in Serbia, punishable by up to eight years in prison.

An in-depth review of Serbian court records from 2014 to September 2024 reveals that 37 individuals were convicted for taking part in the Ukrainian conflict, along with one person prosecuted for facilitating such involvement.

Of these convictions, prison sentences were handed down in six cases, with only one relating to engagements post-escalation of the conflict in 2022.

Official statistics regarding the number of Serbian volunteers who have died fighting alongside Russia in Ukraine are currently unavailable.

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