Serbian police on Thursday arrested five people suspected of calling for the violent overthrow of the Balkan country’s president during a protest the previous day and possession of weapons.
The arrested men, some with suspected ties to Russia’s private military Wagner group, took part in a protest Wednesday night by far-right pro-Russian groups demanding that populist President Aleksandar Vucic reject a Western plan to normalize ties with Russia. Serbian breakaway province in Kosovo. .
Demonstrators gathered in front of the presidency building in central Belgrade, holding banners reading “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia”, “Don’t surrender” and “Kosovo’s betrayal is Russia’s betrayal!”
They blocked traffic and at one point tore down a metal fence in front of the presidency shouting: “Where is Vucic?” Some threw eggs into the building.
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Serbian officials were quick to denounce the protest, claiming it was an attempted coup against the president and the government.
The Interior Ministry said on Thursday the five men were arrested on suspicion of calling for “the violent overthrow of the government and the president of Serbia, as well as possession of weapons and explosive materials.”
People hold a Serbian flag reading ‘Kosovo’ during a protest against Serbian authorities in Belgrade, Serbia, on February 15, 2023. Five people were arrested for allegedly calling for the violent overthrow of the country’s president. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Vucic on Wednesday night accused the protesters of being anti-Serb and of receiving funding and support from “a foreign country,” apparently referring to Russia.
“Do you really think it’s possible, do you think there won’t be an answer to that? The state will react very efficiently, very quickly, very seriously and very responsibly,” he said.
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The Russian ambassador to Serbia, Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko, reacted by tweeting that “Russia is determined to continue comprehensive cooperation with friendly Serbia and not to interfere in Serbia’s internal affairs.”
“We strongly condemn the threats sent from the meeting that took place last night near the Serbian Presidency,” he added.
The protest comes amid efforts by US and European Union officials to broker a solution to the longstanding dispute between Serbia and Kosovo, a former Serbian province whose 2008 declaration of independence Belgrade does not recognize.
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Serbia has relied on its traditional Slavic ally Russia, as well as China, in its refusal to recognize the independence of Kosovo, which is backed by Washington and most EU countries. Western officials fear that Russia could use simmering tensions in Kosovo to try to destabilize the Balkans and divert attention from the invasion of Ukraine.
Vucic has said he is ready to consider the Western plan. His provisions have not been published but he reportedly stipulates that Serbia would not object to Kosovo’s membership in international institutions, including the United Nations, while Serbia would get a faster path to EU membership.
