Govorit Moskva

“I used the conversation with Ambassador Botsan-Kharchenko to hand him a letter for the President of the Russian Federation, Putin, in which, alongside congratulations for his electoral victory, I explained the difficult situation faced by the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, significant political challenges that await Serbia, along with gratitude to the Russian Federation for the support it provides to the territorial integrity of Serbia”, wrote Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on his Instagram account.

Just three days after this post, the daily Informer highlighted on its front page that Vučić had addressed “the usual haters”, explaining that his congratulations to Putin were “good for our country”.

Beyond Vučić’s congratulations and expressions of gratitude for the Russian Federation’s support of Serbia’s territorial integrity, Aleksandar Vulin, the former director of the Serbian Intelligence Agency (BIA), also extended thanks to Moscow via RIA Novosti. RT Balkan later reported that Vulin acknowledged Russian services for purportedly briefing Serbia on “numerous plans by Western intelligence services acting against Belgrade during protests by the pro-Western opposition”. Vulin was not the first to express such gratitude; at the end of December, Ana Brnabić, the newly elected Speaker of the Serbian Parliament, did the same. The distinction for Vulin comes with the Order of Friendship he received from Vladimir Putin, as well as an order from the Russian FSB.

The exchanges with Moscow weren’t merely verbal. Serbian Foreign Minister, Ivica Dačić, also traveled to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. Following their meeting, media outlets reported that Dačić and Lavrov discussed issues deemed “of crucial importance for Serbia”, including cooperation, Kosovo, and broader regional and global circumstances. Some reports emphasized Dačić’s statement that Belgrade “expects concrete support from Moscow”, highlighting Russia as “our safe voice” and affirming that Serbia “will protect its friends”.

 

Serbian-Russian Perspectives

 

In addition to the unequivocally pro-Russian positions in these statements from former and current government representatives, favor towards Moscow was also evident in other headlines of daily newspapers and TV news. While various topics were covered, the media emphasized Russia’s strength on the Ukrainian front, accusations directed towards Western countries and Ukraine after the terrorist attack in Moscow, as well as the Kremlin’s stance regarding the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.

Accusations flooded both television channels and front pages. Among the most important news, the media highlighted the suspicion from Moscow that ISIS was responsible, but also the stance of the FSB that the attack was orchestrated by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine. Doubts that ISIS organized the terrorist attack were also expressed by Vladimir Đukanović, MP and a high-ranking member of the Serbian Progressive Party. Đukanović wrote on the “X” that “ISIS did not organize anything because essentially ISIS does not exist, and even when it did, it was under the control of the Americans”. Meanwhile, public broadcaster RTS 1 specifically highlighted that the Russian president expects “fair punishment for those responsible”, and pro-government tabloids reported Putin’s claims that “the bloody trail leads to Kyiv” and that he is preparing “revenge for the massacre”.

Regarding the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, the narratives of Belgrade and Moscow converged. The media once again spotlighted President Vučić, emphasizing his remarks that “they were destroying our country” and “killing our children”, yet highlighting Serbia’s resilience, as it remains “stronger” and “more defiant”, continuing to “resist the dismemberment of its territory”. However, the Serbian president’s voice was not louder than that of the Kremlin, leading the media to also focus on Russia’s “contributions” to commemorating the anniversary of the NATO bombing’s onset.

Domestic media, along with Serbian editions of Russian media, reported that a film by Russian journalist Andrei Kondrashev was broadcast on the state television channel “Russia 1”. The film, which discussed “the act of war in the heart of Europe”, prominently featured notable figures such as Russian President Putin, Serbian President Vučić, President of Republika Srpska Dodik, and Russian Patriarch Kirill, among others. Moreover, an exhibition of photographs titled “Why?” was organized at the Russian House to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing. Among the notable attendees seated in the front rows, close to the Russian ambassador in Belgrade, was Aleksandar Vulin.

The RTS 1 also played a significant role in the dissemination of messages concerning the NATO bombing. On Thursday, March 29, RTS 1 broadcast a documentary called “U238 – depleted uranium” about the NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The main narratives that run throughout the film are that even after the bombing stopped, NATO continued to kill Serbs because it had dropped depleted uranium ammunition in 1999. One of the protagonists is Danica Grujičić, acting minister of health. Despite being produced by RTS, it is noteworthy that a documentary covering the same subject and featuring some of the same interviewees, including Danica Grujičić, was broadcast on the Russia Today Balkan website on Sunday, March 24. Additionally, in an interview on RTS on 28 March, Fyodor Lukyanov, Editor-in-Chief of Russia in Global Affairs and Chairman of the Russian Council on Foreign and Defence Policy, speculated about a potential link between Ukraine, Western powers, and the recent terrorist attack in Moscow. Lukyanov also underscored the fruitful relationship between Russia and Serbia, looking forward to continued cooperation in various domains.