For years, Aleksandar Dinic kept a single bullet from the war in Ukraine as a memento. The 35-year-old Serbian national was arrested in January on suspicion of murder after police discovered the bullet among his personal belongings. His alleged victim, a 43-year-old man, was found shot dead at the base of Mount Avala on January 16. The man is believed to be part of a Balkan-based drug trafficking organization, who was undergoing trial in Belgrade. He was accused of smuggling 324 kilograms of cocaine from South America into Europe with others.
Belgrade prosecutors have pointed to the Montenegro-based Kavac criminal clan as the entity that may have hired Dinic as a contract killer. The Kavac clan is locked in a bitter gang war with the Skaljari clan, both with origins in the coastal town of Kotor in Montenegro. Since 2015, a deadly feud between the two groups has resulted in multiple fatalities. The conflict reportedly began after 300 kilograms of cocaine went missing from a Valencia apartment. The Skaljari side lost one of their first members, Goran Radoman, who was shot and killed in his Belgrade garage. The war has since expanded, resulting in deaths in Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Austria, Greece, Spain, and other countries.
A Life of Crime and War Experience
Dinic's War Experience
Dinic was not directly involved in the gang war, but he had extensive combat experience from fighting with pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. According to records from the Ukrainian website Myrotvorets, Dinic was listed as a fighter in an illegal armed formation operating in the Luhansk region of the Donbas. His name was added to the database in August 2015. Prior to this, Dinic had a history of petty crime, with prior convictions for drug possession and theft. He reportedly used marijuana daily, at times supplementing it with other drugs and alcohol.
Dinic’s moods were known to shift dramatically, which he attributed to the unpredictable nature of life. A lawyer who once represented him noted that Dinic’s time in Ukraine had profoundly affected him. He described the war as a “slaughterhouse and a deception,” and the lawyer claimed that Dinic’s life became increasingly chaotic after his return. He frequently changed jobs and living arrangements, working in a betting shop, as a food delivery driver, and at gas stations. His lawyer suggested that the war experience left a deep mark, altering his mental state and lifestyle.
Dinic’s target was Zivko Bakic, a criminal under house arrest wearing an ankle monitoring device. Bakic was allowed one hour each day for walks outside. Dinic studied his routines closely, eventually luring Bakic to an area in the Belgrade suburb of Sopot. One day, Dinic’s car became stuck in snow, prompting Bakic to stop and offer help. The following day, at the same location, Dinic shot Bakic seven times with a Heckler & Koch submachine gun. After the killing, he left the crime scene with his Siberian Husky, Lana.
Legal Consequences in Serbia
Serbian law defines volunteering or serving as a mercenary in a foreign war as a criminal act. The punishment can range from six months to five years in prison, with stricter sentences for organized group involvement. Dinic’s time in Ukraine, which began in 2014, was never officially investigated or prosecuted. Social media references suggest his participation in the war, though the duration of his stay in Ukraine remains unclear. Despite this, Dinic’s focus often shifted to petty crimes and substance abuse upon returning home.
The lawyer who once represented Dinic noted how deeply troubled he was by his client’s behavior and emotional state. Dinic described his time in Ukraine as a form of personal and psychological ruin, and his life became more and more disorganized. He was known to move frequently and change jobs without stability. His addiction to drugs and alcohol made this chaos even more pronounced. The lawyer said it was clear to him that Dinic had not fully recovered from what he experienced in Ukraine.
An anonymous veteran of the Ukraine war, who does not know Dinic personally, suggested that he likely suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. “War is a horrific thing,” the veteran said. “You can’t escape the reality of it. Shrapnel and body parts are flying around, and you wonder every minute if you will be the next to die.”