In pro-Russian Serbia, a few Russians and Ukrainians unite to oppose war
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[June 21, 2022]
By Aleksandar Vasovic
BELGRADE (Reuters) - Each week about a
dozen Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian expatriates opposed to Russia's
invasion of Ukraine meet local Serbs in a Belgrade cafe to discuss the
war and plan protest rallies.
Serbia's open borders to Russia have made the Balkan country a
destination for thousands of Russians, including some fleeing sanctions
or conscription and others opposed to the government in Moscow.
Thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the war also arrived.
Peter Nikitin, founder the Facebook group "Russians, Ukrainians,
Belarusians and Serbs Together Against War", says it started
spontaneously on the day Russia invaded on Feb 24.
"We went to the Russian embassy to protest and there we met a few other
Ukrainians, Russians and Belarusians and ... the same day we started
this Facebook group," said Nikitin, 41, a Muscovite and an interpreter
who came to Belgrade six years ago.
The group has so far staged around a dozen actions, ranging from rallies
that attracted hundreds of people to smaller protests with just a
handful of activists.
In Serbia, they are in the minority.
Most Serbs see Russia, a fellow Orthodox Christian and Slavic nation, as
an important military and trade partner.
In May research from NSPM, a Belgrade-based conservative think-tank,
suggested that 82.1% of Serbians opposed sanctions against Russia. It
also said that 68.7% of respondents believed NATO, which bombed Serbia
during the war in Kosovo in 1999, was chiefly responsible for the
outbreak of war in Ukraine.
'YOU DON'T GET ARRESTED'
Since the invasion, several rallies in support of Russia have attracted
thousands of supporters, including many from ultranationalist
organisations, some waving Russian flags or wearing t-shirts with the
pro-Russian "Z" logo.
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A woman walks next to a mural of Russian President Vladimir Putin
with the word 'Brother' written on it, which has been vandalised
with red spray paint, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in
Belgrade, Serbia, June 20, 2022. REUTERS/Zorana Jevtic
The "Z" symbol has also appeared in graffiti on walls
in the Serbian capital, though a mural featuring Russian President
Vladimir Putin and the word "brother" has since be defaced with red
spray paint.
Although Serbia condemned the invasion of Ukraine at the United
Nations, its conservative government has so far refused to impose
sanctions against Russia.
But Nikitin said that despite pro-Russian sentiment and threats in
social media, the Serbian authorities have allowed the group to
demonstrate, unlike in Russia and its ally Belarus, where there have
been clampdowns on dissent.
"You don't get beaten up and arrested five minutes after you show up
on the street, in fact the police in Belgrade are very professional
... they've been doing a great job protecting us and preventing
various provocations," he said.
Sasha Seregina, 33, from Russia's eastern city of Samara who
administers group's Facebook page, said its Ukrainian members were
very supportive, but that the real reconciliation between the two
nations would be a difficult process.
"This is very important not only for our movement but also for the
future and for some potential reconciliation."
(Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Daria Sito-Sucic and
Alex Richardson)
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