Serbia to Cope with Western Attempts to Provoke Crisis, Says Russian Diplomat

Maria Zakharova pointed out that the Serbs know their history and "have never, unlike Ukraine, abandoned it"

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service/TASS

MOSCOW, December 29. /TASS/. The Serbian people are capable of withstanding the West’s efforts to meddle in their domestic affairs and to stir up a crisis in the country, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel.

"We see that there are very serious components of this Western intervention in Serbia, interference in internal affairs," she said. "Most importantly, Serbia and the Serbian people have this immunity. It is a major ordeal, it is a long road of countering the onslaught from the West which Serbia is now trying to cope with, but I believe in them. <…> I am convinced that no matter what scenario is being plotted by the West, the Serbian people have something to respond to."

The diplomat pointed out that the Serbs know their history and "have never, unlike Ukraine, abandoned it."

"They sacredly honor all those who have not just worked for the prosperity of their state, but also sacrificed their lives in the 20th century, for example, as well as before that. This immunity is rooted deep and it cannot be easily broken or simply canceled, as this won’t work," Zakharova said.

The Serbia Against Violence opposition bloc asserts that the country’s parliamentary and municipal elections that were held on December 17 were rigged. The opposition began rallying outside the Republican Election Commission building in Belgrade on December 18 and attempted to storm the city hall building on December 24. The riots were dispersed by the police, who detained 38 people. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic described the attempt to seize the Belgrade City Hall as an attack on the country’s sovereignty, while Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said that Moscow had warned Belgrade about potential unrest.

The Republican Election Commission ruled that a re-run of the election will be held at 28 polling stations on December 30. Serbia Against Violence refused to take part. Opposition activists announced a large protest in Belgrade on the day of the re-run.