A country gives way: Putin fanatics in the middle of Europe - "A shameful moment in our history"

Created: 03/06/2022, 21:23

By: Andreas Schmid

Pro-Russia demonstrations in Belgrade.

You can see Russian flags, pictures of Putin and the "Z", the symbol of Russian war vehicles.

© Pavel Bushuyev/Imago

There are protests against Russia around the world - but there are also pro-Putin demos in Serbia.

The country's traditional proximity to Russia is currently particularly noticeable.

One and a half weeks after the escalation in the Ukraine conflict, people all over the world took to the streets again at the weekend to call for an end to the violence.

In Serbia, meanwhile, there are also fanatical supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Friday, around a thousand pro-Russian demonstrators marched through the streets of the Serbian capital, Belgrade.

With Russian flags and pictures of Kremlin boss Putin.

Many chanted anti-NATO slogans.

Ukraine war: Russia demonstration in Serbia - and the image of "denazification"

The demonstrators probably also took up the Nazi narrative spread by Russia.

"Ukraine is currently being liberated from neo-Nazis," 22-year-old protester Nikola Babic told the AFP news agency.

Among other things, Putin is calling for the “denazification” of Ukraine to end the war.

Ever since 2014 and the fall of pro-Russian Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych, Moscow has been claiming that “Nazis” have seized power in Kyiv.

In fact, there are radical right-wing volunteer battalions, some of which have now been integrated into the army.

In elections, however, right-wing extremist candidates only received a fraction of the votes.

Many observers therefore regard Putin's reasoning as a pretext to get many Russians and Russian-speaking Ukrainians behind him in the spirit of Soviet resistance to Hitler's fascism.

Demonstrator Babic says: "The Russians - our brothers - are liberating the country and hopefully the world." There are reports that the protests in Belgrade were organized by Serbian right-wing extremists.

Video: Right-wing populist demo in Belgrade 

Ukraine war: Russia supporters in Serbia - between EU and Moscow

Quite a few Serbs support Putin.

A number of Serbian media have defended the attack on Ukraine in recent days.

Overall, Serbia seems divided.

On the one hand, the country is an EU accession candidate.

And should actually be more in line with the West than Moscow.

On the other hand, it maintains good relations with Russia and is heavily dependent on the commodity giant in terms of energy policy.

In the UN General Assembly, Serbia voted in favor of a UN resolution condemning Russia's attack.

But probably only did so because the paper made no mention of sanctions.

As pro-Russian President Aleksandar Vucic said, his country will not impose sanctions on Russia.

Ukraine war: Serbian President Vucic in the election campaign - little criticism of Russia?

It took Vucic a full 40 hours before he first criticized Russia's invasion.

The 52-year-old did not mention the name Vladimir Putin, saying: "We consider it a serious mistake to violate the territorial integrity of a country like Ukraine." Overall, however, he avoids the tough Russia course of many European countries - out of political calculation?

Vucic has long been in campaign mode.

In Serbia there is a not small pro-Russian electorate.

It could become decisive on April 3, because that is when the presidential election takes place.

Vucic is not unpopular in the country, but has been criticized for his Corona policy.

Without consulting Parliament, he declared a state of emergency.

That severely restricted the civil liberties of the population - and could possibly cost the man who celebrated a clear victory in the last election votes.

Get along well: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin during a visit in November 2021. © Mikhail Klimentyev/Imago

Of course, there are also people in Serbia who are calling for a tougher course on Russia, including sanctions.

Isolated demonstrations against the war also take place.

Vucic recently said to these Russia critics: "I'm only a few days president, in a month there are elections.

Then vote for those who want to introduce sanctions against Russia immediately.” He painted a bleak scenario of what would happen to Serbia in the event of Russian sanctions.

"I ask you, how are you going to explain to the people that three days later Russia says that it does not support Serbia's territorial integrity in the UN Security Council?"

Ukraine war: ex-ambassador on Serbia's image of Russia - "disgraceful"

Former Serbian ambassador Ivo Viskovic criticizes the image that Serbia seems to present at the moment.

"I think this is not exactly a glorious - or to put it bluntly: a shameful - moment in our history," Viskovic told ARD.

“Because neither the Ukrainian people nor the Ukrainian leadership have ever done anything bad to Serbia.

And from our side, this is unfortunately being repaid at the moment with a fairly high level of indifference towards the victims.” An indifference that resulted in open glorification of Putin in Belgrade on Friday.

All information on the Ukraine war can be found in the news ticker on the negotiations in the Ukraine war and on the military situation in the Ukraine war.