Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is facing criticism from within his own government for refusing to support Western nations on the Ukraine conflict, with a senior member of his administration claiming that he is putting his life at risk by maintaining this stance. Traditionally friendly towards Russia, Serbia has declined to impose sanctions on Moscow or align itself with US and other Kiev backers in their policies. This position has led Brussels to insist that Belgrade’s aspirations of joining the EU will remain unfulfilled unless it shifts course.
In an interview with Russia’s RIA Novosti, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin expressed concerns about Vucic’s safety, citing attempts on the lives of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and former US President Donald Trump, both vocal critics of Western Ukraine policies. In May, Fico survived a shooting by a 71-year-old man, whose government blamed incendiary rhetoric by opposition politicians for motivating him. Meanwhile, in July, Trump was grazed by a bullet during a presidential campaign rally; the shooter was killed by a counter-sniper.
Vulin also criticized the organizers of a mass protest held in Belgrade last Saturday, arguing that its ultimate goal may be to overthrow the Serbian government. The demonstration, which attracted around 27,000 protesters according to government estimates, was staged in opposition to a project to develop lithium mining, criticized by environmentalists as potentially causing massive damage. Belgrade granted a license to extract the valuable metal to British-Australian company Rio Tinto in 2022 but later revoked it under public pressure; however, the project resumed last month after a Serbian court overruled the government’s decision.
Vucic also revealed that the Russian government had warned Serbian authorities that the rally may be a cover for a ‘color revolution,’ which refers to hostile foreign operations that use anti-government demonstrations and spiraling public disorder to force regime change.