A peaceful riverside retreat in western Serbia, advertised as a “unique oasis for rest, relaxation, sports and entertainment,” has been linked to covert Russian-backed training aimed at destabilizing Moldova, according to an investigation published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on October 16.
The report centers on the “Sunny River” resort on the banks of the Drina River—roughly 500 kilometers from Sofia—which Radio Free states was used to train Moldovan nationals to provoke riots ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections.
According to video obtained from Moldovan police shows men in combat gear with assault rifles operating on the resort grounds. Although the scene appeared idyllic when RFE/RL journalists visited—complete with grazing donkeys and thatched huts—reporters were denied entry.
Authorities in Chișinău say the training took place ahead of Moldova’s September 28 parliamentary vote. According to RFE/RL, citing Serbian officials, over 150 Moldovan and Romanian nationals underwent training at the site between July 16 and September 12. Just days before the election, Moldovan police arrested around 70 people, “most of whom had reportedly been trained at the eight-hectare Serbian complex.”
Despite growing concerns, Serbian prosecutors stated that “neither the resort nor its owner are under investigation.” Local officials told RFE/RL the resort owner is currently in Bosnia and Herzegovina due to health reasons and will provide clarification upon returning.
In the nearby village of Gorska Konvilača, residents appeared unaware of the alleged covert operations. Still, two shopkeepers told reporters that during the relevant time frame, they had brief conversations with Russian-speaking visitors.
“They stood in front of the store, drank a bit, we talked a little—not much,” one woman, who gave her name as Biljana, said. “They mostly spoke Russian. They didn’t know much English.”
While physical evidence remains limited, RFE/RL uncovered digital clues. A fitness app linked to Sergey Andreenkov recorded his morning runs along the Drina River on September 8, 9, and 12—starting each time near a restaurant at the Sunny River complex.
Andreenkov is an activist in Vladimir Putin’s ruling “United Russia” party. In May, Russia’s Ministry of Defense awarded him a medal “for strengthening the defense capabilities of the Russian Federation.” Online photos also show him delivering military equipment to Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine in 2023 and 2024.
So far, according to RFE/RL, Serbia has arrested two individuals, identified by their initials L.P. and S.S. Local media named them as Lazar Popović of Belgrade and Savo Stevanović from Loznica. Both are reportedly former advisers to Nenad Popović, a current Serbian minister without portfolio who remains under US sanctions for ties to Russia. Popović has not responded to media questions.
Serbia has long sought to balance its historical ties with Moscow and its ambitions for closer cooperation with the West. President Aleksandar Vučić commented that the information about the training “came from private sources, not Serbian intelligence services”—suggesting elements of the operation may have been concealed.
Earlier, the United States granted a one-month sanctions waiver to Serbia’s Naftna Industrija Srbije, an oil company majority-owned by Russian entities. This marks the fifth—and reportedly final—extension of the exemption.
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