A former key member of the Ukrainian secret service and his German partner, who were taken into custody days ago for smuggling hundreds of thousands of euros and dollars in cash, and two emeralds, have been awaiting a decision in a prison in Nis. The prosecutor's office in Serbia is currently collecting evidence.

Serbia’s president knows about Naumov’s case

Serbia’s head of state affirmed that a former head of the Ukrainian secret service had been detained on the Serbia-North Macedonia border. When asked by journalists, Aleksandar Vucic only said that he did have information about the case, but did not provide details. Nor has the president revealed whether Belgrade intends to extradite the detained Andriy Naumov to Ukraine.

Photo: Serbia’s president

V4NA news agency was among the first to report that Andriy Naumov and a German citizen wanted to cross into North Macedonia driving an expensive BMW. When customs officers searched the vehicle, they discovered that he was carrying more than 600 thousand euros and 120 thousand US dollars in cash, and two emeralds in the car. Mr Naumov and his partner had failed to officially declare their valuables. The two men have been remanded in custody.

Photo: Serbia’s interior ministry

Andriy Naumov joined the ranks of Ukraine’s intelligence services in 2019. Two years later, he was appointed head of the internal security department. He was dismissed from this post only on 31 March, well after the launch of Russia’s military operation. As we also reported, the Ukrainian ex-intelligence chief’s corruption cases could be linked to Chernobyl.

Mr Naumov mysteriously disappeared on 24 February this year, just ours before Russia’s attack. Authorities began investigating without delay, and it turned out that he had already sent his family abroad a few days earlier. However, he was stripped of his rank much later, on 31 March, according to Ukrainian press reports, and only then, a month after he fled the country and the war began, was he accused of high treason. Although Ukrainian authorities were obviously well aware that Mr Naumov was certainly in possession of extremely valuable information, locating and capturing him were handled rather sluggishly. On 1 April, Mr Zelensky even said that „I don’t have the time now to deal with all the traitors. But gradually they will all be punished”.

Photo: Serbia’s interior ministry

Prosecution is working to gather evidence

Neither the relevant Serbian authorities nor the Ukrainian Embassy in Belgrade have yet said whether Kiev has asked Belgrade to extradite Naumov. Viktor Gostiljac, the lawyer of the arrested former secret service chief, said that his client denies being guilty. He does not believe Mr Naumov can be held liable for money laundering.

„The Nis prosecutor’s office is currently working on collecting evidence,” the lawyer stressed, adding that he had no information that the Ukrainians had requested Naumov’s extradition.

According to an earlier police statement, Naumov is suspected of trying to smuggle particularly high-value gems and large amounts of money into the country. According to the authorities, these assets are the result of criminal activities. The BMW, in which the former Ukrainian secret service chief travelled, was driven by a German national. There is no precise information as to when the persons concerned entered Serbia, nor how much time they spent in the Balkan country. According to press reports, it is not yet known whether Andriy Naumov has requested legal assistance from his country’s embassy in Belgrade.

Photo: Serbia’s interior ministry

According to slobodnaevropa.org, the German citizen detained with Naumov was Aleksander Akst. He was reportedly driving the high-end car. The Ukrainian press, meanwhile, reported that Mr Akst has been repeatedly suspected of organising illegal activities and committing crimes, for which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed sanctions on him in October 2021. Apparently, Mr Naumov had no qualms about travelling in the same car with him and trying to cross the border illegally.

Aleksander Akst and Andriy Naumov are currently awaiting their fate in a prison in Nis, southern Serbia. Under Serbian law, they could face up to 12 years in prison.