Protesters’ attempts to attack the Belgrade municipal administration building on Sunday were part of a Western-led scheme to destabilise Serbia’s government, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
Following the triumph of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) over the pro-EU Serbia Against Violence (SPN) coalition in parliamentary elections, thousands of pro-Western activists attempted to break into government facilities in the city on Sunday evening.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has called the rallies an attempted colour revolution, a term used to describe movements funded and organised by Western countries, primarily the United States, with the goal of deposing international governments who defy Washington’s interests.
In a statement to TASS on Monday, Zakharova agreed with the Serbian leader’s suspicions and said that “attempts of the collective West to shake up the situation in [Serbia] using the techniques of Maidan coups are obvious.”
The spokeswoman stated that “the only possible reaction” to the weekend’s election results was strict adherence to the letter and spirit of Serbia’s constitution and respect for the choice of its people.
One of the allegations that fueled Sunday’s protests was that the SNS engaged in “vote theft” during the election. President Vucic has categorically denied that accusation as “lies” and stated that the protests were organised by the West, which he alleges seeks to depose him because of his close relations with Russia and refusal to recognise Kosovo’s independence from Serbia.
After police dispersed Sunday’s protests, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic expressed gratitude to Russian security agencies, which she said had provided advance notice of demonstrators’ plans to start a disturbance. Vucic also hailed unspecified “foreign services” in his inaugural address for alerting his government to the impending uprising.
