"The West has a desire to implement the Maidan in Serbia, and what this leads to is best seen on the example of Ukraine," said the spokeswoman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova.
Her statement from 2023 seems to have been copied by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia (SVR), two years later. So on September 15, they announced that they have information that the European Union is preparing a "Serbian Maidan", and therefore finances the media, including "Vreme", but also "FoNet", "Južne vesti", "Podrinske", "Boom93"...
Direct threat to journalists
Maja Sever, president of the European Federation of Journalists, tells "Vreme" that she expresses full solidarity with journalists in Serbia who "became the target of dangerous and completely unfounded accusations by the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation."
"Such attacks are not accidental - independent and professional journalists are regularly targeted precisely because they report professionally and courageously in the public interest, providing citizens with accurate and verified information," says Sever for "Vreme". "Attempts to portray them as 'instruments of foreign influence' without any evidence are not only unacceptable, but also a direct threat to their security and freedom of work. Such claims deliberately spread mistrust, open space for pressure and threats and aim to silence critical voices."
From Moscow with love
She adds that "journalists are not enemies - they are a barrier against authoritarianism and the foundation of democracy", so attacks on them are also attacks on the right of citizens to be truthfully and impartially informed.
In response to questions from the "Vremena" editorial office, to comment on the statements of SVR, the Delegation of the European Union in Serbia told us to contact the Department for Enlargement and International Partnerships at the European Commission. Until the conclusion of this text, the answer has not arrived.
As if the Serbian tabloids were writing
"More than unusual, the announcement of the Foreign Security Service is problematic both in terms of its form and content," Đorđe Vukadinović from Nova Serbian Political Thought told Vreme.
"The announcement of the SVR, both in terms of form and content, is most reminiscent of a text from one of the Serbian regime tabloids. And I would not completely rule out the possibility that it was created that way," Vukadinović believes.
"In any case, drafted this way and marketed this way, the announcement will have a certain political effect, but I think that, in essence, it will harm Russia's reputation among Serbs more than it helps Vučić in this crisis, regardless of the fact that he will certainly exploit him to the maximum in the media and politically."
What did Zakharova say in 2023?
And everything repeats itself.
"All those alleged rallies are not rallies at all, but simply taking people to the streets in order to achieve goals that are not in accordance with democratic processes and in order to promote Western interests with the help of unconstitutional means that contradict internal laws," Zakharova said at a press briefing in December 2023.
At that time, "Protests against violence" were held in the country, which actually started in the spring and summer of the same year, when two incredible tragedies happened in the country - Ribnikri Dubona and Malo Orašje.
In Serbia, there were then extraordinary elections at all levels, elections in Belgrade as well, which were accompanied by numerous irregularities, but also vote theft, as the opposition claimed.
Zaharova then said that the protests in Serbia are organized according to previously used "templates from Western manuals" and that the European Union and the USA are incapable of mediating the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo.
"A week after the extraordinary elections for the Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, under the pretext of an alleged fraud, an attempt was made to 'majdanize' street protests in Belgrade," she said at a press conference.
Where I left off – you copy.
Protests due to "election theft" in Belgrade Ana Brnabić and Miloš Vučević then compared it to the "anti-Russian" revolution on the Maidan in Kiev, explained Andrej Ivanji, editor of "Vremen", in his commentary.
Thus, Ana Brnabić repeated after the 2023 election that "it was completely clear that the opposition was preparing this during the entire campaign", because they had not presented any plan, but that their campaign was focused on "hatred towards Vučić".
So she concluded: "They planned the Maidan in Belgrade, to come to power through a revolution - that will not work."
As it already happens in the progressive ranks when some slogan is spun, where Brnabić left off, Miloš Vučević continued by stating that "Đilas's option is no other policy" than to "Majdanize" Serbia, because they "constantly want to cause tensions, conflicts, dehumanize political opponents through their media, spread hatred, lies and the most heinous insults against President Vučić and his family..."
Rasha "scratched the surface" there
The Russian unofficial public service Rasha Today, which also operates in Serbia, immediately wrote on September 15 that, "when you scratch the surface a little, you get to that unbreakable donor link between the European Union and Great Britain."
"When you look at the columns reserved for donors of the non-governmental organization Link from Sombor, a lot becomes clearer - the Embassy of Great Britain in Belgrade, the European Union, the Trag Foundation, the UK Aid Foundation, which is financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Great Britain," writes Raša today and reminds that In February, the police launched an investigation against four non-governmental organizations - CRTA, Civic Initiatives, Center for Practical Policy and Trag Foundation, due to the suspicion that they spent the funds received from the American Development Agency (USAID) in an inappropriate manner.
"Since this moment, the investigation has not moved and it is not known what happened to the traces that were found in the non-governmental organizations, although it is clear where they lead," adds this media outlet.
NUNS: Journalists in immediate danger
The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) warned, following the statement of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, that "the spread of conspiracy theories and disinformation diverts attention from real protests and threatens the public's right to be truthfully and impartially informed." They also remind that journalists are already exposed to attacks, threats and pressure, while such statements make their work even more difficult and create an atmosphere of insecurity and mistrust.
"Journalists professionally report on protests and it is their duty to convey accurate and complete information about important events to the public. However, statements like this, which insinuate foreign conspiracies without evidence, put journalists and the media in direct danger," NUNS announced.
NUNS appeals to all domestic and foreign actors to refrain from publishing politically motivated claims that endanger journalists and the media.
"Our obligation still remains clear: to protect the right of journalists to do their work freely and safely, as well as the right of citizens to accurate and objective information. Journalists are not and must not be collateral damage of political calculations. They are a pillar of a free and democratic society and must have the full support and protection of institutions and society as a whole," NUNS said.
