This is a list of

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

units and formations throughout history. It includes Serbian volunteer militias loyal to the Habsburg Monarchy prior to Serbian independence, and organizations loyal to Serbia since. Note that many of the organizations either started out or ended up folded into official military organizations. These are distinct from institutions with formal status and a direct leadership structure under a nation-state, examples being the

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

era

First Serbian Division The First Serbian Volunteer Division () or First Serbian Division, was a military formation of the First World War, created by Serbian Prime Minister Nikola Pašić, and organised in the city of Odessa in early 1916. This independent volunteer u ...

and the post-2006 modern

Serbian Army The Serbian Army () is the land-based and the largest component of the Serbian Armed Forces. Its organization, composition, weapons and equipment are adapted to the assigned missions and tasks of the Serbian Armed Forces, primarily for operatio ...

, which do not belong on this list.

Organizations created before World War I

Serbian Militia The Serbian (Rascian) Militia (; , ) was an auxiliary military unit of the Habsburg Monarchy composed primarily of Serbs. It was active between approximately 1686 and 1704 and operated as part of the Habsburg military structure during the Great ...

, Habsburg militia, active in the

Great Turkish War The Great Turkish War () or The Last Crusade, also called in Ottoman sources The Disaster Years (), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League (1684), Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lith ...

(1683–1699) *

, Habsburg militia, active in the Kingdom of Serbia (1718–39) *

Serbian Free Corps The Serbian Free Corps (), known simply as ''frajkori'' ( sr-cyr, фрајкори), was a volunteer militia composed of ethnic Serbs, established by the Habsburg monarchy, to fight the Ottoman Empire during the Austro-Turkish War (1787–1791). T ...

, Habsburg militia, active in the

Austro-Turkish War (1787–1791) The term Austro-Turkish War may refer to: * Austro-Turkish War (1593–1606) * Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664) * Austro-Turkish War (1683–1699) * Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718) * Austro-Turkish War (1737–1739) * Austro-Turkish War (178 ...

Serbian Revolution The Serbian Revolution ( / ') was a national uprising and constitutional change in Serbia that took place between 1804 and 1835, during which this territory evolved from an Sanjak of Smederevo, Ottoman province into a Revolutionary Serbia, reb ...

ary Army, active in the Serbian Uprisings (1804–1817) * Komiti, anti-Ottoman rebels, active in the late 19th century *

Serbian Chetnik Organization The Serbian Revolutionary Organization () or Serbian Chetnik Organization (Српска четничка организација / Srpska četnička organizacija) was a paramilitary revolutionary organization with the aim of liberation of Old Se ...

, anti-Ottoman rebels, active in Old Serbia and Macedonia (1903–08)

Balkan Wars and World War I

, put under the command of the

Royal Serbian Army The Army of the Kingdom of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Војска Краљевине Србије, Vojska Kraljevine Srbije), known in English language, English as the Royal Serbian Army, was the army of the Kingdom of Serbia that existed between 1882 ...

in the Balkan Wars and World War I. **

Association against Bulgarian Bandits The Association against Bulgarian Bandits (, sr-Cyrl, Удружење против бугарских бандита) was a paramilitary organization based in Štip, then in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, that was active during the ...

, counter-terrorist unit in Macedonia in the Interwar period *

Black Hand Black Hand or The Black Hand may refer to: Extortionists and underground groups * Black Hand (), 1919–1924 Mexican-American raiders of the Tierra Amarilla Land Grant * Black Hand (anarchism) (), a presumed secret, anarchist organization based ...

, secret society responsible for the assassination of Austrian Crownprince, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. **

Narodna Odbrana Narodna Odbrana ( sr-cyr, Народна одбрана, literally, "The People's Defence" or "National Defence") was a Serbian nationalist organization established on October 8, 1908 as a reaction to the Austro-Hungarian annexation of Bosnia and ...

, militant group closely tied to the Black Hand that committed war crimes in

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

during the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

Report of the International Commission to Inquire into the Causes and Conduct of the Balkan Wars The ''Report of the International Commission to Inquire into the Causes and Conduct of the Balkan Wars'' is a document published in Washington D.C. in 1914 by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The International Commission consisted ...

(p. 169) **

Young Bosnia Young Bosnia ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Млада Босна, Mlada Bosna) refers to a loosely organised grouping of separatist and revolutionary cells active in the early 20th century, that sought to end the Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovin ...

, militant group closely tied to the Black Hand that directly carried out the assassination * White Hand, a secret military organization in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia). It was established in order to counter the influence of the Black Hand, and relied on the People's Radical Party.

World War II

*Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army (

Chetniks The Chetniks,, ; formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland; and informally colloquially the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationalist m ...

) **

Lim-Sandžak Chetnik Detachment The Lim-Sandžak Chetnik Detachment () was a military unit of collaborationist Chetniks that was established in northern Montenegro and Sandžak at the end of June 1942, during World War II. In August 1942, it was commanded by Pavle Đurišić, ...

Dinara Division The Dinara Division () was an irregular Chetnik formation that existed during the World War II Axis occupation of Yugoslavia that largely operated as auxiliaries of the occupying forces and fought the Yugoslav Partisans. Organized in 1942 with ass ...

Pećanac Chetniks During World War II, the Pećanac Chetniks, also known as the Black Chetniks, were a Nazi collaborationist Chetnik irregular military force which operated in the German-occupied territory of Serbia under the leadership of '' vojvoda'' Kosta P ...

* Serbian Volunteer Corps

Yugoslav Wars

Kninjas The Kninjas (), also known as the Red Berets, was a Serb paramilitary unit and a volunteer militia supporting the Army of Serb Krajina during the Croatian War of Independence. It was based in Knin, the capital of breakaway SAO Krajina that became ...

(''Knindže''), Serbian volunteer organization commanded by

Dragan Vasiljković Dragan Vasiljković ( sr-cyrl, Драган Васиљковић; born 12 December 1954), nicknamed Captain Dragan () is a convicted war criminal and former commander of a Serb paramilitary unit called the Kninjas during the Yugoslav Wars. In 200 ...

, active in Croatia. *

Serb Volunteer Guard The Serb Volunteer Guard, SDG. Also known as Arkan's Tigers () or Arkan's men (). was an elite Serbian volunteer paramilitary unit founded and led by Željko Ražnatović (better known as "Arkan"). It was recognized for its superior bearing an ...

(''Srpska dobrovoljačka garda''), also known as "

Arkan Željko Ražnatović (, ; 17 April 1952 – 15 January 2000), better known as Arkan (), was a Serbian warlord, mobster and head of the Serb paramilitary force called the Serb Volunteer Guard during the Yugoslav Wars, considered one of the most f ...

's Tigers", Serbian volunteer organization, active in Croatia and Bosnia. * Serbian Guard (''Srpska garda''), Serbian volunteer organization, armed wing of the

Serbian Renewal Movement The Serbian Renewal Movement (, abbr. SPO) is a liberal and monarchist political party in Serbia. It was founded in 1990 by writer Vuk Drašković, who served as the party's president until 2024. Aleksandar Cvetković is the incumbent leader. ...

, active in Croatia in 1991. * Dušan the Mighty Forces (Dušan Silni) Active in Croatia in 1991, military wing and unit of

Serbian National Renewal The Serbian National Renewal (; abbr. ''SNO'') was a nationalist political party in Serbia that existed in the first half of the 1990s. History The Serbian National Renewal was formed around the Saint Sava Society started by Mirko Jović in Augus ...

White Eagles White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wavelen ...

(''Beli orlovi''), also known as " Šešeljevci",The policy of ethnic cleansing (Final report of the United Nations Commission of Experts)
Serbian volunteer organization, armed wing of the

Serbian Radical Party The Serbian Radical Party (, abbr. SRS) is a Far-right politics in Serbia, far-right, Ultranationalism, ultranationalist List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. Founded in 1991, its co-founder, first and only leader is ...

, active in Bosnia and Croatia. *

Wolves of Vučjak Wolves of Vučjak () was a paramilitary unit active in the Croatian War of Independence and the Bosnian War. It was established in Prnjavor, Bosnia and Herzegovina. They were active in fighting in Okučani, Jasenovac and Novska. In August, 1991 ...

(''Vukovi s Vučjaka''), Bosnian Serb organization, active in Bosnia and Croatia between 1991 and 1993. *

Yellow Wasps The Yellow Wasps ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Жуте осе, Žute ose) were a Serbian paramilitary group which was active in the Bosnian War. It was headed by Vojin Vučković and Dušan Repić. The group was active in the Zvornik region. Vojin and his brot ...

(''Žute ose''), Bosnian Serb organization, active in Bosnian Podrinje between April and October 1992. *

Scorpions Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...

(''Škorpioni''), Serb organization, active in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo. * Leva Supoderica, active in Croatia during the

Battle of Vukovar The Battle of Vukovar was an 87-day siege of Vukovar in eastern Croatia by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), supported by various paramilitary forces from Serbia, between August and November 1991. Before the Croatian War of Independence the Bar ...

. * Tobutski sokolovi, active in Bosnia. * (''Srpski sokolovi''), led by *

Greek Volunteer Guard The Greek Volunteer Guard ( ''Grčka Dobrovoljačka Garda''; ''Elliniki Ethelodiki Froura'') was a unit of Greeks, Greek volunteers that fought in the Bosnian War on the side of the Army of the Republika Srpska. Some members of the unit are all ...

, Greek volunteer organization under the

Army of Republika Srpska The Army of Republika Srpska (; ВРС/VRS), commonly referred to in English as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of Republika Srpska, the self-proclaimed Serb secessionist republic, a territory within the newly independent Bosnia and Herz ...

, active in Bosnia and Croatia. *

Jackals Jackals are canids native to Africa and Eurasia. While the word has historically been used for many canines of the subtribe canina, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-backed jackal (''Lupulella ...

(''Šakali''), active in Kosovo in 1999.

Current

* Serbian Honour

References

External links

* Paramilitary formations * {{Serbia-hist-stub