Politics, Geopolitics, History: Russian-Serbian Relations at the Present Stage
7–9 minutes
Serbia, a small European country with a population of 6.6 million people (according to the results of the last census in 2022, excluding the territories of Kosovo and Metohija), is surrounded on almost all sides by NATO member countries. It has been striving to become part of the European Union, yet for almost nine years has refused to introduce restrictive measures against the Russian Federation. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has explained that Belgrade's position reflects its political and moral principles: the country has pursued a policy of military neutrality, and the state will try to defend its position "as much as it can", limiting itself to voting for anti-Russian resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly due to its own national interests and despite pressure from the West.
Since the beginning of Russia's special military operation to protect the inhabitants of Donbass, Western pressure on Serbia has been constant. Demands to impose sanctions on Russia are put forward by representatives of Western countries at every meeting with the country's leadership, regardless of the topic under discussion. Appeals to implement the anti-Russian measures are contained even in congratulatory telegrams. When congratulating the Serbian President on Statehood Day on February 15, 2023, the President of the United States of America, Joseph Biden, in his letter noted that "together we must continue to support the people of Ukraine and call Russia to account for its unjust and causeless war against Ukraine."
Moreover, in July 2022, the European Parliament, in a resolution, called on Belgrade to impose sanctions against the Russian Federation, and ordered the country's authorities to take restrictive measures against Russian media. Before that, on March 2, 2022, as a result of the European Union blocking the transmission of RT's signal via satellites, broadcasting of this channel via cable network was temporarily stopped in Serbia. However, two days later, the largest Serbian operator restored access. Then, in May 2023, MEPs adopted a resolution condemning Serbia's close ties with Russia, and also expressed regret that Belgrade had not yet implemented anti-Russian sanctions. However, the West is not limited to political pressure and the adoption of resolutions; it also threatens to tighten the visa regime and introduce economic restrictions, given the fact that the EU is Serbia's largest trading partner. In fact, it has threatened the imposition of sanctions against the country.
However, no sanctions against Russia have been imposed so far, and the Russian media outlets have not been closed down. Moreover, in November 2022, RT Balkan began broadcasting online in Serbia; in June 2023 it was hit by the European Union's 11th package of sanctions against Russia.
Refusing to support anti-Russian measures, the Serbian leadership takes into account, first of all, its political interests, as the Russian Federation supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, but also the opinions and moods of the country's inhabitants. All public opinion polls conducted from May 2022 to June 2023 show that the majority of the country's residents are against the imposition of sanctions. Here are the results of the latest survey conducted in June 2023, in which 1,100 people took part: 79% of Serbian citizens opposed the imposition of sanctions against Russia.
The attitude of the inhabitants of Serbia towards the special military operation can be illustrated by several more indicative facts. First, a little more than a week after the start of the special military operation in the capital of Serbia, graffiti featuring a portrait of Russian leader Vladimir Putin appeared. Second, graffiti with the letter "Z" appeared and still appear on the facades of numerous buildings in different cities of Serbia as a symbol of support for Russia. Third, in mid-April 2022, thousands of people took part in a rally in support of Russia in Belgrade. The Serbian basketball and football fans have repeatedly spoken out in support of Russia.
The answer to the question why Serbia has not yet imposed sanctions against Russia, lies in the historical ties between the two peoples, which are rooted in the deep past: Russians and Serbs fought shoulder to shoulder in the First Serbo-Turkish War of 1876–1877, in the First and Second World Wars, the Red Army together with the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia in 1944-1945 liberated most of Serbia as well as part of Croatia and Slovenia. It is impossible not to mention the centuries-old spiritual and cultural ties: representatives of the Russian diaspora made a huge contribution to the development of science, art, and culture in Yugoslavia. Of course, the Serbian people also remember how on March 24, 1999, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Yevgeny Primakov, who was on his way to Washington, ordered the plane to turn back while over the Atlantic Ocean, having learned about the prepared aggression of the NATO alliance against Yugoslavia. Serbian society will not forget that, on July 8, 2015 in the UN Security Council, Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin vetoed a document drafted by the UK condemning the killings of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica as genocide.
At the same time, against the backdrop of the Ukrainian crisis, spiritual, cultural, and humanitarian bilateral ties continue to develop. Serbia has retained direct flights to Russia - there are direct flights to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan and Sochi; nevertheless, Russia has expressed a desire to increase the number of flights between the two countries. Serbian scientists continue to cooperate with their Russian counterparts. Russian scientists take part in scientific conferences in Serbia and Serbian researchers make presentations in Russia. Sports ties are also developing. In mid-June 2023, the Spartak football club from Subotica (in the north of the country) announced the appointment of Alexander Kerzhakov as head coach. A month later, the Serbian football club Crvena Zvezda ("Red Star") became the winner of the international football tournament in St. Petersburg.
It is also important to note that Serbia still celebrates the Day of Victory over Fascism. On May 9, 2022, and also in 2023, representatives of the authorities laid wreaths at the monuments to Soviet soldiers in the largest cities of Serbia. Moreover, their memorials remain standing and are looked after.
Despite the geopolitical realities, all the challenges and difficulties that both sides face, relations between Russia and Serbia are strong at the present stage. If the history of bilateral relations teaches us anything, it is that if Russian-Serbian relations worsen, they will quickly improve, because contacts and ties remain. Centuries-old spiritual and cultural ties, the historical past and historical memory have been and remain the guarantee of good bilateral relations.
Views expressed are of individual Members and Contributors, rather than the Club's, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
