Air Serbia flight JU134 from Belgrade to Moscow on November 3 was already deep in Lithuanian airspace when the crew received instructions to return to the Serbian capital.

Among the passengers were three senior figures from the regime of former President Aleksandar Vucic : Aleksandar Vulin, former defense and interior minister and former head of Serbia's Security Intelligence Agency (BIA), Dusan Bajatovic, long-serving director of state-owned gas company Srbijagas, and Nenad Popovic, a minister without portfolio.

All three are well known in Serbia for their close ties to Moscow and for controversies, including allegations of corruption and abuse of public office.

According to unofficial reports published by several media outlets, the plane was ordered back because of a security breach: Vulin had allegedly boarded without undergoing the mandatory security screening.

Since 2023, Vulin has been under US sanctions over what Washington described as "engaging in corrupt and destabilizing activities that…