Russia has warned Serbia about the potential risk of a coup attempt, as reported by President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday. His statement was made one day prior to an anticipated protest in the nation’s capital. According to Vucic, Serbia’s Security Intelligence Agency (BIA) is already acting on this information.
We received official information from the Russian Federation, information transmitted and brought through official channels,” the president said. He added that authorities are dealing with it and there is no reason for concern. Vucic did not elaborate on where the threat may come from or who might be behind the alleged coup plot. Nonetheless, he maintained that those who “dream” of achieving anything in such a way should know that they will not succeed.
Serbia is moving forward and they cannot and will not stop it,” Vucic added.
Earlier, some Serbian news media outlets reported that Russian security services allegedly warned Vucic about massive riots being prepared in Serbia with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the nation’s leadership. A Serbian ‘Vecernje Novosti’ daily stated earlier on Friday that it obtained a “color revolution handbook” supposedly published for the participants of ecological protests expected to be held on Saturday. The content of the “handbook” describes methods reminiscent of “color revolutions” in other nations, according to the media outlet. It also claimed that the protests in the country are likely to be coordinated from some “centers of power” abroad but did not accuse anyone in particular.
The news came as the nation prepares for possible ecological protests this weekend. In July, Serbia became the center of a standoff between groups of eco-activists and the government over a major lithium mine project. Last month, Belgrade granted the Anglo-Australian mining major Rio Tinto a license to develop a lithium mine in the Jadar region in the western part of the country, which is set to become the largest one in Europe, according to Reuters.
The project did not sit well with some local farmers and villagers, who argued that the mine would severely pollute the surrounding area. The mine would “free the European Union from reliance on China” in terms of lithium at the expense of Serbians’ health, farmer Zlatko Kokanovic, one of the activists, told Reuters.
The government views the $2.4 billion Jadar lithium project as a major boost for the national economy. The mine could cover 90% of the EU’s needs for lithium, according to Reuters. The protesters demanded that the government ban lithium mining in Jadar before August 10 and vowed to announce their next steps at a rally on Saturday.