Russia's Trojan Horse in a Deep Crisis. The West eloquently silent

Protests in Serbia do not halt and resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vuchevićwhich was expected to reduce social tensions, did not satisfy the demonstrators. Countrywide demonstrations started last November just after construction disaster at fresh Sad station, in which 15 people died – they just seem to get stronger.

Young people have four basic demands: a fair explanation of the circumstances of the tragedy, the publication of all the documentation related to it and the punishment of the guilty; the release of detainees during protests of demonstrators; the capture and judgement of those liable for many attacks on students carried out during protests and the increase in education grants.

However, gathering these conditions is simply a challenge for power because The full country is 1 large party-corruption deal., whose collapse could mean the government losing power continuously since 2012 Serbian Progressive organization (SNS) And an indivisible leader President Alexandar Vuscić.

As indicated Prof. Konrad Pawłowski – lecturer at Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin and analyst of the Institute of Central Europe – Aleksandar Vuszic rules Almost alone. – His strategy resembles soft autocracy, due to the fact that although the parliamentary-office strategy is formally in place and it should be the Prime Minister who is in charge of the authorities, the head of state and the de facto presidential government is actually behind the controls. He's all that matters. – notes the interviewer Interii.

Students and joining students academics, teachers, lawyers or farmers They do not believe that the regulation of law and the institutions under its authority are respected. Society is increasingly accusing SNS as if acquisition of the State as owning, the stubbornness of everyday life. The specialist emphasizes that the disaster in the fresh Court and the government's reluctance to explain it transparently, illustrated The corrupt nature of the state.

– 1 of the banners I saw at the protests said: "Your corruption protects and kills us." This straight presents a corrupting arrangement between business and SNS, which spreads a protective umbrella over the power-related people liable for the disaster, at a time erstwhile average citizens on the street are in real danger of death," the expert explains.

During a peculiar speech, delivered on Tuesday, president Alexandar Vuscić announced that next week he would decide, whether to set up a fresh government within the current parliament or to set up fresh elections; until the next cabinet is established, the Council of Ministers of Milos Vuchević will have a method character.

– This means changing the power strategy, which so far – mainly through pro-government media – She discredited protests, underestimated their scale and attacked demonstrators through hired people called Batinashi. Initially, the attitude of the rulers was confrontational, and now it has become somewhat submissive, due to the fact that 13 demonstrators have been released, and any of the provokers are beginning to be caught," explains Prof. Konrad Pawłowski.

At the same time, demonstrators cut off from the political opposition of the SNS, while opponents of power only support students, but do not support them to do not give the arguments against the protest to Vuchici. Meanwhile, the president did not neglect to say on Tuesday that the demonstrations are inspired by abroad agents – mainly Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrin and Kosovian.

– This thesis is completely false – protests are bottom-up and social, and students organize themselves and collegiately within the university – emphasizes Interia interviewer.

The analyst besides points out that setting up fresh elections could be a trap for the rulers. The Serbs went to urn for the period of power of the SNS in 2014, 2016, 2020, 2022 and 2023, so on average all 2 years. So far, Vuscić has chosen specified frequent elections due to the fact that he has demonstrated his social legitimacy and the win has ensured application many manipulations and briberyWhy are the OSCE reports in charge?

– To make a career or find a place of work best be connected to SNS, therefore About 10% of citizens belong to the party, who have been mobilized for years to vote for a group with their families. If Aleksandar Vuscić wins specified a rigged election, Nothing will change, and the problems will stay unresolved – the expert estimates.

He stresses that the opposition demands the creation of a supraparty transitional government with experts, but the president categorically excludes specified a scenario, due to the fact that the creation of specified a cabinet that would oversee subsequent elections could consequence in Vuchic's failure of power.

The president says he's met his demands., but the protesters disagree – the state continues to defend the contractors under the corrupt system, and the explanation of the disaster could collapse the full network of interconnections. According to Prof. Pawłowski Vuchic may fear that a public investigation would further worsen the image of power and his own, due to the fact that liable for rebuilding the station is erstwhile Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Goran Vesić, who is close to his colleague.

How do protests relate to the global situation? Serbia under the regulation of Aleksandar Vuscić has no long-term abroad policy, but is based on four basic pillars: European Union, United States, China and Russia. Belgrade so pursues a multifaceted policy between democracy and authoritarian states, which symptomatically reflects its interior policy.

Prof. Konrad Pawłowski, however, points out that despite the right ones in position Brussels and Washington student requests, The West has taken water on its mouth and does not comment on the political crisis.

– Vukic is simply a certain stabilizing component Balkans Western as it restricts Russian separatist movements in Bosnia and Herzegovina and guarantees the sustainability of the agreement with Kosovo. In addition, the opposition is divided and divided, there are pro-European and pro-Russian parties there, so The West may be afraidthatTaking power by Vuchic's opponents could mean even more chaos in Belgrade. The game is besides crucial in Serbia. substantial resources of lithium – natural material to be utilized by the EU under the July 2024 agreement for the manufacture of electrical cars, so that she can compete globally with China, says the expert.

In October 2024, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti named Serbia in an interview with “Newsweek” "Russian Trojan Horse". So how does an ally experience Kremlin? Dmitri Pieskov stated on Tuesday that Belgrade is simply a ‘important partner’, so Moscow wants “Serbian brothers to solve all problems as shortly as possible”. Prof. Konrad Pawłowski, however, points out that The West is now a more crucial vector for Vukic.

– Russia depends on Vuscić to stay in power, which until 2022 stressed that has support Vladimir Putin. After the war broke out, however, he leaned towards the West – selling weapons Ukraine through intermediaries or purchased French Rafale fighters, which he approached for many years with Paris – that explains why Europe silence. But the Serbian society is inactive pro-Russian, so Vuscić does not completely cut off from Russia, even though it does not impose sanctions on Moscow with the EU. However, he tries to separate himself energetically from Gazprom and Russian natural materials – he explains.

How will the restless situation in Serbia develop? Prof. Konrad Pawłowski emphasises that citizens are tired of 13-year-old Progressive organization governmentsAnd in society it's happening. Big generation change.

– Students, though they did not want to, involuntaryly became a political actor. Aleksandar Vuczyć and his squad are politicians from the 1990s, and young people are a different generation, about a different mentality. Serbia is in chaos, which does not have a simple solution – emphasizes our speaker.

However, the analyst warns against a real hazard due to the fact that “if the authority fails to meet the demands of demonstrators – and it appears that it either does not want or cannot – it can happen escalation of protests”.

– People are demanding a change of power and better standards in the state, while Aleksandar Vuscić refuses to leave. The 2000 script cannot be rejected erstwhile the power of Slobodan Miloszević was overthrown, which was a revolution in Serbia's history – emphasizes the specialist.

Sebastian has arrived.

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