MADE BY PUTIN: Serbian far right for the Serbian and Russian “national cause”

A cikk meghallgatása

It would be hard to miss the fact that far right and neo- Nazi groups in Serbia are stirring up trouble against Kosovo and Ukraine, even though the Belgrade prosecutor’s office has rejected the complaints made by a Belgrade lawyer and three Serbian civil organizations against those who sympathize with the Wagner Group. BALK reported last year that leaders of Serbian far right groups “monitored” the Ukrainian referendum staged by the Russians, who dreamt of marching into Kosovo this year on Russian tanks. Blic, a Belgrade-based newspaper, recently published a long article, citing diplomatic and security sources, about Russia’s support of far right and neo- Nazi groups in Serbia. Blic’s language is quite strong, but it is not far from the truth, and the following information is unlikely to surprise regular readers of BALK.

Few in number but dangerous

According to Blic news portal, far right and neo- Nazi organizations are using the French- German proposal for resolving the Kosovo situation to incite disturbances in Belgrade and in the areas bordering Kosovo. The document compiled by international mediators is referred to as just another “non-paper” rather than a real proposal and is believed to only serve the purpose of stirring up emotions and providing space for the excesses of the Serbian far right and for the growth of nationalism in Kosovo on both sides.

According to the Blic news portal, extreme right and neo- Nazi organizations are trying to cause chaos and unrest in Belgrade and along the border of Kosovo. The centrist portal refers to the latter as the “administrative line” using a phrase from the Serbian “mandarin language.”

– This scenario best fits the Russian regime, which has long aimed to cause chaos and disturbances in Europe, and the Balkans is the most effective field for this purpose

According to Blic, a few hundred people gathered near the Serbian parliament and surrounding streets following events in the parliament building.

The group consisted of familiar faces and Russian-friendly activists, led by Damjan Knežević, head of the People’s Patrol, Srđan Nogo, former parliamentarian from the Dveri party, and Nemanja Šarović, president of the Love, Faith, Hope movement.

A Blic reports that these extreme groups may seem small in number, but they are well organized and can provoke violent incidents.

All of them have occupations that provide a modest livelihood in their place of residence, so it is well founded to believe that they receive money and resources from Moscow to continue their activities.

Violent Action in Belgrade and on the Kosovo Border

Russian-backed extremist groups have organized pro- Russian marches and gatherings that sometimes turn violent, when they serve Moscow’s interests.

The most recent “violence-marred demonstration” was in Belgrade in 2020, allegedly organized by the Russian leadership.

The Covid-19 measures were cited as the cause of the demonstration, but according to Blic, it quickly became apparent that the demonstration had a political and ideological charge.

The demonstration resulted in the occupation of the Serbian parliament, 43 police officers and 17 protesters were seriously injured. Five police vehicles were set on fire, three police horses were injured during the riots, and over 70 shields and other equipment became unusable.

The Belgrade newspaper and news portal reminded that a month ago, there was a violent demonstration on the “Kosovo and Metohia” administrative line (not border!), the crowd started to brawl with the police, and minor scuffles broke out.

Violent actions are also possible

After the 2020 parliamentary invasion, the police named Damjan Knežević as the organizer, and he was arrested.

At the demonstration held on the Kosovo border a month ago, Knežević also appeared, who was previously the deputy chairman of “Zavetnici” (Keepers of the Oath), this time wearing a hat decorated with the brand of the notorious Wagner Group mercenaries.

During his visit to Russia last year, Knežević used the opportunity to turn his hosts against Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

WAGNER: Damnjan Knežević with the Wagner “logo”(Screenshot)

The Blic states that Moscow has been supporting several organizations and individuals operating in Serbia for years, but of course, all of them deny having direct connections with the Kremlin, especially when it comes to the fact that Vladimir Putin’s regime finances them.

These extreme groups call themselves patriots who care about both Russia and Serbia, while spreading nationalist propaganda and sending messages inciting war with Kosovo on Telegram profiles under the guise of fraternal relationships.

They also provide advice on how Serbs should behave with regards to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, but of course, they don’t put it that way.

Who is inciting from Russia?

Among those inciting from Russia, some of them have frequently stayed in Serbia, these people have become especially active since Russia attacked Ukraine.

The Kremlin’s “political satellites” now maintain daily contact with far right and neo- Nazi organizations in Serbia, according to the Blic.

Damjan Knežević has been an active “politician” in Serbia since 2014 and has been leading the People’s Patrol since 2020. They started by harassing migrants dressed in black and later adopted anti-vaccine behavior.

Damjan Knezevic has connections with the Andrej Lisov, leader of the “Eagles” (Orlovi) Russian- Serbian cultural center, also known as the “Evil Eagles”, who recently moved into the Wagner Group headquarters in St. Petersburg.

Knezevic was one of the first visitors to the newly opened military training center of the semi-military or military mercenary group.

Serbia has been negatively portrayed in the foreign media recently, as symbols of the “Wagner” group have appeared on the facades and walls of Belgrade.

It is a common belief in Serbia that these graffiti/murals were brought over by the People’s Patrol, especially after one appeared with the name of a far right organization. This, however, has gone unnoticed by the Serbian prosecutors.

Russian Imperial Movement and Srbska akcija

In addition to the People’s Patrol, the “Srbska akcija” (Serb Action) also has connections with the Russian Imperial Movement, which has been declared a terrorist group by the United States and EU.

Two Serbian far right leaders, who oversaw the quasi-referendum on the “Russian regions” (Source: Twitter, Miša Vacić )

According to Western opinion, the Russian intelligence finds extremists for its own purposes almost anywhere in Europe through intermediation of the movement advocating czarist ideals.

In Serbia, it is believed that Srđan Nogo, a former representative of Dveri, works with this group. He is the organizer of several Serbian & Belgrade rallies.

The Blic did not mention Miša Vacic of the Serbian Right (Српска десница) and Ivan Ivanovic of the “Ours” (Наши) Conservative Movement, who were supervisors of the Russian referendum in the four Ukrainian districts and roamed around Volgograd, apparently not at their own expense.

Vacic was seen in a photo taken there with a Serbian “three-fingered” salute, and Ivanovic tweeted a picture with the caption “next year (in Kosovo) Prizren with Russian brothers.” Vacic has since decorated his Twitter profile with a “wall mural” of the Wagner Group, reading “Wagner Group – Russian Warriors…”

In a Thursday post, a Serbian far right “enthusiast” wrote that there is only one solution to the Kosovo situation, which is the annexation of Kosovo.

Questions

The West, or the EU supervised by the United States, Quinta or whoever has put Serbia in front of a choice.

The Western intermediaries, who are allegedly proliferating almost to the point of division, have also outlined what the consequences of rejecting the Western plan might be, but there is almost no mention of what happens if Serbia were to accept the proposal in question.

How does the Serbian far right react to this? Will the far right forces, directed by the far right in Serbia, take to the streets, as they have already been reveling in Belgrade & Serbia for minor things, such as the recent Pride?

And it is also a question of what Russia does to “reinforce” these forces, or what the Night Wolves, a Putin-friendly motorcycle gang, do in Serbia.

As a question, it may also be worth asking whether it was a sane idea for the West to poison the Balkan situation and open up another front in Europe right now, especially when it was quite obvious that Russia wanted to do just that.