On Wednesday, Serbia stated that the allegations made by protesters regarding the use of a “sound cannon” against them have been disproved by an investigation conducted by Russian intelligence officers.
President Aleksandar Vucic announced that agents from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) determined that no sonic devices were employed to forcibly break up the mass demonstration that occurred on March 15 in Belgrade.
This protest, which was the largest anti-corruption rally in the country since a tragic roof collapse at a train station last year ignited a nationwide movement, attracted between 100,000 and 300,000 participants.
However, chaos ensued when an unexplained sound caused panic, leading many demonstrators to flee.
Protesters and activists accused the government of deploying a “sound cannon” or similar sonic weapon, and some media outlets shared images of a police vehicle seemingly outfitted with a U.S.-made LRAD 450XL long-range acoustic device.
Although Interior Minister Ivica Dacic confirmed that Serbian police have such equipment, he denied its use during the protest.
The Serbian government extended invitations to both the FBI and the FSB to conduct an investigation.
While the FBI remains silent on the request, which was sent by Serbia’s Interior Ministry on March 18, the FSB responded by dispatching a team in late March.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Vucic claimed that the FSB’s findings revealed that the assertions about a sound cannon being used were false, and he threatened legal action in response to these claims.
Serbian civil society organizations reported that they collected over 3,000 witness testimonies, where observers of the protest described a noise reminiscent of either a crashing airplane or an approaching vehicle. Many reported experiencing ongoing health issues as a result.
Last week, activists submitted a petition with more than 500,000 signatures to the UN office in Belgrade, calling for an international investigation.
The student-led protest movement was initiated following a deadly roof collapse at the Novi Sad train station on November 1, 2024, which resulted in the loss of 16 lives.
This disaster, widely regarded as indicative of governmental corruption, has sparked the largest civil unrest in Serbia since the 1990s.
