Serbian Nationalist Flaunts Freedom with Ukraine Call to Arms

Zivkovic, however, was investigated on suspicion of organising the participation of Serb fighters in the war. He was arrested in August last year in the southern Serbian town of Krusevac but on June 12 the local prosecutor's office told BIRN it had suspended the investigation against him, without specifying why.

"It was clear from the very start that the indictment was absolutely politically motivated," Zivkovic told BIRN.

Appearing to thumb his nose at Serbia's judicial system, Zivkovic posted a video to YouTube on May 28, from Donbass, in which he called for the creation of a unit of Serbian and Russian fighters.

"Let us form one Serbian, Russian volunteer unit, despite your laws according to which you want to judge to us, Serbs who are fighting and who fought here on Russian territory," he said in the video.

'Lack of commitment'

Lugansk region. Photo: Flickr/Rosa Luxemburg-Stiftung

Zivkovic appeared to backtrack in his comments to BIRN, saying he had returned to Donbass to help child victims of mines.

Asked about his YouTube video, Zivkovic replied: "Everyone fights in their own way - some with a gun, some with propaganda, some with other acts," he said.

Zivkovic nevertheless criticised the 2014 Serbian law that forbids Serbian citizens from participating in foreign wars.

"I will always laugh at it," he said, "until it clearly makes a difference between volunteers and mercenaries." Zivkovic denied being paid for his involvement in the war.

Bojan Elek, a researcher at the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, a think-tank, questioned the prosecution's decision not to investigate Zivkovic as an active fighter in the war.

"So far, the prosecution based indictments on the fact Serbian...