
Croatian Air Force pilot JI (54) and his long-term partner AM (46), a citizen of Serbia, ended up in custody so as not to hinder the investigation.
The Split District Prosecutor's Office only today confirmed that it has opened an investigation against them for espionage.
What are they accused of?
The pilot is accused of the most serious form of this crime, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, as, according to the prosecution, he disclosed secret information.
His partner faces one to five years in prison on suspicion of a lesser form of espionage, namely collecting secret information and passing it on. She was taken into custody not only because of the risk of influencing witnesses, but also because of the risk of flight.
Although the prosecution requested that detention be ordered due to the risk of recidivism, the court decided that this could no longer happen since the pilot is no longer engaged in the mission in Kosovo. It is suspected that he disclosed information to his partner to which he had access as a member of the international forces in Kosovo.
The couple, according to sources, had met in 2016, precisely in Kosovo. At that time, he was a member of the Croatian contingent in KFOR, while she worked as a translator in the EULEX mission. Their relationship, with interruptions, has now lasted nine years. AM has often come to Croatia during these years, where he was eventually arrested.
The pilot told investigators, after the procedure was launched, that his partner only sent him data on weather conditions, important for his flights. He denied that they exchanged confidential information. Moreover, he insists that he is the victim of a trap, while AM is simply "collateral damage."
But, according to the indictment, he disclosed data on the movements and positions of KFOR forces, while it sent them further through encrypted applications. He himself, according to the indictment, admitted that he had guessed that AM could trade such information. The investigation will reveal exactly what was at stake.
AM has also been engaged as a "fixer", that is, as a field assistant for various teams of journalists.
The charges against the couple are based on messages found on their mobile phones. They, among other things, exchanged messages about the December 25, 2022 incident, when KFOR members were attacked in Zubin Potok.
Then AM wrote to her childhood friend, Vladimir Radivojević, known as Mami, one of the representatives of the Serbs in northern Kosovo. He is from Mitrovica, like her, but the Kosovo authorities consider him one of the leaders of the so-called “Northern Brigade”, linked to structures from Belgrade.
Mami is also linked to the terrorist attack in Banjska in 2023, for which an indictment was filed in 2024 by the Kosovo Special Prosecution Office.
The controversial message that AM sent to Mami was: “You must 'iron out' the attack on KFOR at all costs.” (Probably referring to covering up, disguising, hiding the attack on KFOR, vj). That same day, her pilot boyfriend wrote to her: “You really screwed up last night.”
In her defense, AM reportedly stated that she works for the German secret service, specifically the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), which deals with the collection and analysis of intelligence data abroad.
It is known that Germany was among the main countries involved in the NATO-led KFOR mission and is one of the largest donors to Kosovo through investments in infrastructure, education, health and the economy. It was also among the first countries to recognize Kosovo's independence and continues to support its European integration as well as the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.