01.07.2020.

New Issue of “ODBRANA”

READ IN THE JULY ISSUE OF THE MAGAZINE “ODBRANA”:

Seventy five members of the Guard of the Serbian Armed Forces marched under the flag of the Republic of Serbia across the Red Square in Moscow, where the 75th anniversary of victory over fascism was marked by the Victory Day Parade in which our servicemen paid homage to heroic ancestors in a dignified manner. Apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the highest dignitaries at the Parade included President of the Republic Aleksandar Vučić and Serbian Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik, in front of whom 13,008 soldiers marched from Infantry echelon of the Armed Forces of Russian Federation and 13 more countries.

The second event that marked the month behind us was certainly presentation of military flags to commanders of two special brigades - 63rd Parachuting and 72nd Special Operations Brigade - at a celebration in Takovo, when the President of the Republic, in the presence of the minister of defence, Chief of General Staff and highest officials, underlined that those were the two most elite units of our armed forces which had always stood in defence of their fatherland and which had always made people of Serbia proud. The ceremony held in the Memorial complex “Second Serbian Uprising” represented a formal completion of the process of reestablishment of those celebrated units.

The common denominator of the most important events in the first summer month is undoubtfully modernisation of assets, which, along with continuation of intensive training, had a special place among the activities in the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces. A giant step forward, “which we have waited for since 1991” is the way in which Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin described the modernisation of tank M-84, whose upgraded version was presented on 8th June in the Technical Overhaul Facility “Čačak”. A day later the minister of defence attended verification tests of a second phase prototype of an upgraded anti-aircraft gun L-70 “Bofors” (PASARS) at a testing ground “Miokovci” near Čačak, and soon after that, together with the Chief of General Staff, at testing ground of the company “Zastava TERVO” from Kragujevac, he attended presentation of a new armoured fighting vehicle M-20 MRAP 6x6, for which Minister Vulin confirmed that it was capable of transporting our units safely, securely and swiftly, and able to protect them against impact of different light infantry weapons and mines, and he explained that a long-term goal was not to transport any of our soldiers in a truck under tarpaulin. In the Centre for testing arms and military equipment “Nikinci”, the minister of defence attended conclusion of factory acceptance of zero series of modernised missile launcher “Oganj” with control firing. On that occasion, he emphasised that the military power was significantly increased by introduction of digitalised “Oganj” (“a modernisation which was conducted for the first time in 1977), and to support that, he mentioned “far greater usage speed”). In the beginning of June, in the Guard Club, together with the Chief of General Staff General Milan Mojsilović, the minister attended presentation of new uniforms for members of the Serbian Armed Forces, and on that occasion he noted that never before in the history of the Serbian Armed Forces we had had larger number of uniform sets, and that every member of the Serbian Armed Forces had a uniform adapted and designed according to his needs.

In the month behind us, as the military intensively trained and practiced, on the ground, water and air, its future commanding officers, the cadets of the final year of the Military Academy, “highly successfully” executed Graduation exercise “Diplomac 2020” in the military compound “Pasuljanske Livade” in front of Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces General Milan Mojsilović (with their colleagues, attenders of the Reserve Officers’ Course).

It remains recorded that, in June, both minister of defence and Chief of General Staff attended opening of a production plant in the framework of the first phase of construction of Factory for machining of metal within a factory of Serbian defence industry “Combat complex systems Ltd.” in Pljakovo near Kuršumlija, and that Minister Vulin opened new plants in “Trajal Corporation” in Kruševac - for the production of rocket fuel line and assembly of non-electrical detonators.

When it comes to international cooperation, the first man of the Ministry of Defence hosted Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov during his official visit to Belgrade when he toured the exhibition “Defence 78” in the Museum of the City of Belgrade, and Minister Vulin presented a Military Medal for extraordinary contribution to defence system of the Republic of Serbia to yesterday’s Defence Attaché of the Russian Federation Colonel Sobakin and he expressed his gratitude for the successful cooperation.

Once again, the Serbian Armed Forces came to help when it was the most needed. At request of Emergency Situations Headquarters of the Town of Kraljevo, more than 50 members of the Serbian Armed Forces were engaged on providing assistance to population in defence against floods.

You can read about all that, and about a range of interesting topics relating to military technical sphere, geopolitics, culture, in the July issue of magazine “Odbrana” where we have for our readers prepared a new ARSENAL as well.

CONTENTS

FRONT PAGE

Pg.2
IMPRESSUM AND CONTENTS

LEADING ARTICLE
Pg.3
ALWAYS ON THE FIRST PAGE

IN FOCUS
Pg.4
FROM THE ACTIVITIES OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE AND SERBIAN ARMED FORCES
IN JUNE

Pg.6
Members of the Serbian Guard on the Red Square
MARCH OF THE VICTORS

DISCUSSION WITH THE REASON

Pg.12
Brigadier general Miroslav Talijan Commander of 72nd
Special Operations Brigade
UP TO THE LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE

Pg.14
Colonel Nenad Zonić Commander of 63rd Parachuting Brigade
SOLDIERS WITH TWO OATHS

STOPPING POINT
Pg.16
The Serbian Armed Forces have again two respectable special brigades
FLAGS OF PRIDE FOR THE BEST

SYSTEM
Pg.20
Ship artillery firing at training area “Titel”
FIRE ON THE RIVER OF TISA

Pg.24
Live artillery exercise
„SPRING 2020”

Pg.28
Graduation exercise of cadets at “Pasuljanske Livade”
GRADUATE 2020

Pg.34
Military Academy
SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDED ACADEMIC YEARУ

Pg.37
The Armed Forces successfully ended the mission in the largest provisional COVID hospital in the Balkans
VISIBLE AGAINST THE “INVISIBLE”

Pg.40
Modernisation of assets of arms and military equipment
VALUE OF NATIONAL CONTENT

SPECIAL COVERAGE 211
Pg.46
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
POWERFUL FIGHTERS FROM THE AIR

Pg.55
Aeroplane Zlin Z242L
CZECH ACROBAT

GLOBAL – PORTRET
Pg.60
Sergey Lavrov, Leading world diplomat
MISTER NYET

GLOBAL – VIEWS
Pg.64
TURKEY IN THE SYRIAN LABYRINTH

GLOBAL – PARALLELS
Pg.68
Modern Romanian Army
THE BLACK SEA-DANUBE SHIELD

CULTURE
Pg.72
Doctor Miodrag Lazić
MAN WITH MIRACULOUS CURE

Pg.73
New books of the edition “Warrior”
WAR SURGEON JOURNAL

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Pg.74
Service information, competitions