Vucic Next to Russian S-400, Pantsir at Exercise: I've Never Seen Anything Like This Before

Vucic Slavic during Shield 2019 military exercise (Beta/President's Press office/Dimitrije Goll)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Oct. 25 at the command center of the Slavic Shield 2019 military exercise, referring to the Russian anti-aircraft systems set up at the military airport in Batajnica, that he has "never seen anything like that before."

"I've been at their airports, I haven't seen anything like this, it's just that when you read about it and see it on websites and in newspapers you think it's not true, that it's impossible, it seems like a fairy tale, but 'eto pravda' ('it's true' - in Russian)," the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation quoted Vucic as saying.

According to him, the Pantsir and S-400 systems are "terrific" equipment.

"When people ask if we would like it, at this time we would like it only if Russia left them to us. Otherwise we couldn't afford it," said Vucic.

He underscored that those systems guarantee "security, safety, for the coming generation."

Serbia is drastically strengthening its military capacities despite being, as he put it, a small country, adding that Serbia "is not strong enough, but stronger than it was before."

Vucic recalled that Serbia has ordered one Pantsir system which he described as "fantastic."

"It shoots at all flying objects, especially drones and missiles, it sees everything at a distance of 80 kilometers, the radar is difficult to jam, they have a diverse approach. Our people are thrilled, they're training," Vucic pointed out.