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Belgrade on Friday evening: demonstrators celebrate Putin for the invasion of Ukraine
Photo: Marko Drobnjakovic / dpa
In the Serbian capital of Belgrade, around a thousand pro-Russian demonstrators took to the streets to express their support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
With Russian flags and pictures of Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin, the demonstrators marched through the city center on Friday evening.
Many chanted anti-NATO slogans.
"Ukraine is currently being liberated from neo-Nazis," 22-year-old demonstrator Nikola Babic told the AFP news agency.
»The Russians – our brothers – liberate the country and hopefully the world.«
While protests against the Russian invasion of Ukraine are taking place in many other major European cities, many Serbs are supporting Russian President Putin.
A number of Serbian media have defended his attack on the neighboring country in recent days.
In the UN General Assembly, Serbia voted in favor of a resolution condemning Russia's attack on Ukraine.
However, the country has not joined the Western sanctions against Russia.
In terms of energy policy, Serbia is heavily dependent on Russia.
Putin justifies the war against Ukraine by saying that it is a fight against "neo-Nazis" from whom the neighboring country must be liberated.
Ukrainians and Russians are "one people".
The neo-Nazis are in charge of the "Kiev regime," Putin claims.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has Jewish roots and vehemently denies the allegations.
Jewish institutions in the country support Zelenskyy.
jul/AFP