For years, Aleksandar Dinic kept a bullet as a souvenir of the war in Ukraine.
Police found it among his belongings in January, when they arrested the 35-year-old Serbian citizen on suspicion of murder.
His alleged victim, a 43-year-old man, was shot dead on January 16 at the foot of Mount Avala, on the outskirts of the Serbian capital, Belgrade.
The dead man is believed to have been part of a Balkan drug cartel and was on trial at the time in Belgrade, accused alongside others of smuggling 324 kilograms of cocaine from South America to Europe.
Organised crime prosecutors in Belgrade suspect that Dinic was hired as a contract killer by the Montenegro-based Kavac criminal clan, according to case files seen by BIRN.
Since 2015, dozens of people have been killed in a gang war between the Kavac and Skaljari clans, which trace their roots to two neighbourhoods of the Montenegrin coastal town of Kotor.
Fighting erupted after 300 kilograms of cocaine vanished from an apartment in the Spanish city of Valencia. Skaljari member Goran Radoman was among the first to die, shot dead in his Belgrade garage.
Since then, the feud has gone global, claiming victims in Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Austria, Greece, Spain and other countries.
Dinic had no direct involvement in the gang war, but he did have experience fighting with pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine and was on the lookout for some extra cash.
Ukraine battlefield as recommendation
According to statements made under questioning, Dinic was put in touch with the Kavac clan by his marijuana dealer, whom Dinic told he was looking for work outside his employment in a betting shop.
The Kavac member he met offered Dinic 100,000 euros to kill a man.
Dinic was a petty criminal previously convicted on drug and theft charges. He also had proven battlefield experience, having fought as a mercenary on the side of Russian-backed forces in Ukraine’s east.
His name appears in a database compiled by the unofficial Ukrainian website Myrotvorets, where he is listed as a fighter in an illegal armed formation operating in the Luhansk region of Ukraine’s Donbas. According to the website, he was added to the database in August 2015.
Dinic’s target was Zivko Bakic, who at the time was under house arrest and wearing an electronic tag on his ankle. For one hour each day, Bakic was allowed to take a walk outside. Dinic spent days studying his routine, walking through the woods in the Belgrade suburb of Sopot.
One day, Dinic told police and prosecutors, his car got stuck in snow and Bakic, oblivious to his intentions, stopped to help. The next day, at the same spot, Dinic emptied seven rounds into him from a Heckler & Koch submachine gun. Then he drove away along icy roads with Lana, his Siberian Husky.
No prosecution for fighting in Ukraine
Under Serbian law, participating as a volunteer or mercenary in a foreign war is a criminal offence, punishable by between six months and five years in prison, even more for those who participate as part of an organised group or recruit others to do so.
Dinic was never prosecuted for his activities in Ukraine, which, according to social media posts, date to 2014. It is not known how long he spent in the country.
He has a long record of run-ins with the Serbian justice system, on charges including theft, traffic offences and drug-related crimes.
On several occasions, Dinic underwent psychiatric evaluation.
One of the lawyers who represented him said he believed Dinic’s experience in Ukraine had a defining impact on his personality.
“He described the war in Ukraine to me as a slaughterhouse and a deception,” said the lawyer, who asked not to be named.
“I don’t think he ever recovered from that period of his life, and I believe he saw and experienced horrific things there. He became an even lonelier person, living an increasingly chaotic life. He frequently changed apartments and jobs. He worked at a betting shop, as a food delivery driver, and at gas stations.”
“His moods changed constantly, and he used marijuana almost every day, sometimes other drugs as well, and often drank heavily.”
Another veteran of the war, who does not know Dinic personally, said it was “very likely” he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD.
“War is a horrific thing,” said the veteran, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Shrapnel and body parts are flying around you, and every minute you wonder whether you will be the next to die. No one comes back from that unchanged.”
According to data received from the offices of the Higher Public Prosecutor in Serbia, covering the period 2014 to April 2026, 60 cases were initiated under the criminal offence of participation in a war or armed conflict in a foreign country under Article 386a of the Criminal Code and organising participation under Article 386b.
At least 23 of those cases have been initiated since 2022, the year Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Before that, Russia had fomented armed rebellion in eastern Ukraine starting in 2014, the same year Moscow annexed Crimea.
Prosecutors reported at least three convictions since 2022 based on plea agreements.
Killing for money
Dinic went to ground but was eventually arrested while walking his dog. That was the only reason he ever left the safe house rented for him by the Kavac clan.
He says he was never paid the 100,000 euros he was promised.
At first, Dinic refused to answer his interrogators’ questions. Then he broke down and cried. He spoke of his worry for his dog and what would happen to her with him in prison. The authorities found the dog another home.
Dinic’s court-appointed lawyer asked him how he felt when he returned from Ukraine.
“Well, for the first four months after I came back, I was almost never sober,” Dinic replied. “I was drunk most of the time, trying to come to terms with myself. I suppose some of it is still there, although I don’t know. It’s hard. It’s hard to answer that question. I think it’s hardest to talk about yourself right now.”
Dinic is currently in pre-trial detention.