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(Subject "The Point of View")
President Vladimir Putin's official visit to Belgrade yesterday marked a major historical event for the Serbian authorities. In Serbia 's airspace, the plane of the Kremlin leader was greeted by fighters, representatives of the supreme authority and the army were waiting for the plane, the overwhelming guerrillas crossed the city all day long, the mass media organized an uninterrupted broadcast of the visit, more than 20 intergovernmental agreements were signed and hosted in the largest temple in the country, the president 100 thousand people at the time. A festive event. Putin was greeted with such pomp that the sultan arrived in his distant province. However, an unprecedented pathos only masks the weakness of Russia: in fact, under the "brilliant strategist" Putin, it lost its influence in the Balkans, so that only a small Serbia can now rely on the region .
The "Potemkin villages" of Russia in Serbia
Media support for this "historic" visit began in Serbia just after the New Year. The news also sparked the interest that Putin conveys the Order of Alexander Nevsky to the Serbian president. This should reflect the age-old attachment of Serbia and Russia, as well as the confidence and unwavering cooperation of the leaders of both countries. Vladimir Putin brought with him a whole delegation of ministers, directors of companies and businessmen, the parties signed two dozen cases. In the evening, the visit ended with a symbolic campaign in the church and more than one hundred thousand gatherings of Serbs (according to the police), which the authorities conducted in the capital. Judging by the magnitude of the event, one could assume that Putin has brought to Serbia the planetary news, investment and aid, but the generous President of the Russian Federation s & # 39; 39, turned out to be just words.
Putin's visit was very fruitful when he looked at the promises and assurances in an eternal friendship. And discussions about hypothetical investments in the Turkish flow, cooperation in the nuclear and space fields, and military support, not to mention cooperation in the fields of science and culture, were full of optimism and of joy. But nothing more concrete was behind them. Quite simply because Putin has nothing to offer Serbia, apart from the policy of isolationism, the aggravation of tensions with its neighbors and with the EU as well as the new potential military conflicts.
If we look at the structure of trade between the two "eternal fraternities", as the leaders of both countries, the peoples, have repeatedly said, it turns out that most Russians sell gas to the Serbs and Serbia to the Russians – apples. It would be ridiculous if it were not so sad: these are two commodity economies that have long lagged behind modern technologies. The Russians do not have computers or performing phones, their medical equipment is not an example for the world, nobody wants to buy their car, even in Serbia. It remains to sell gasoline, to boast of its great culture and to threaten everyone around the war. This is what Putin came to Serbia.
Geopolitical loneliness of the Russian Federation in the Balkans
In recent years, the influence of Russia in the region, which has always been considered dependent on the Kremlin, s 39 is considerably weakened. Almost all countries on the Balkan Peninsula have become members of the European Union and NATO, or are preparing to become one. The last major defeat of the Russian Federation in the region is the Greek-Macedonian compromise on the name change of Macedonia, which paves the way for this country to the west. Despite Kremlin resentment, the Russians have failed to stop this process.
Even traditionally – also "eternal"! – Pro-Russian Orthodox Montenegro became a member of NATO and entered the European Union, disrupting the Russians' attempt to carry out a coup d'etat in the country. As a result, Putin remained the only ally – Serbia. But this country has the official goal of becoming a member of the EU.
Thus, despite a magnificent reception, Vladimir Putin had a rather modest program. Meeting with Vucic and the Serbian authorities, as well as with the odious Bosnian Serb leader, Milorad Dodik and pro-Russian minority Montenegrin politician Mark Milachic. That's all.
From 5 liters of milk to 20 euros: how were people summoned to a rally
Vladimir Putin arrived in Belgrade to demonstrate that, despite a series of defeats, Russia always had at least one reliable ally in the Balkans. In addition, he was delighted to hear the infinite praises that the President of Serbia had abandoned to his "sultan". The Russian mass media are complimenting Putin for a blistering duplication – obviously upset by the time someone praised his president. But the President of Serbia is not a naive boy among the runners. He also used Putin's visit for his own purposes as part of an internal political struggle.
The author of these lines is already in the writers' residence in Belgrade for three weeks and had the opportunity to look more closely at the state of mind of Serbian society. Despite the fact that Vucic has concentrated all his power in his hands, effectively monopolizing all major media and confidently moving towards an authoritarian model, the feeling of protest is growing in Serbia. This is not surprising because the propaganda in the country is overwhelming: the president does not disappear from TV screens and his party already has 10% of the population. At the same time, more and more Serbs are migrating abroad in search of a better life. Of course, not in Russia, but in the countries of Western Europe.
For several weeks now, the city of Belgrade and the other big cities of the country have been the scene of thousands of Protestant demonstrations. People demand the freedom of the media, honest and competitive elections, the end of the policy of intimidation of dissidents (attacks against the opposition are more frequent and the police "can not" find the culprit) . These actions bear the symbolic name of "1 in 5 million", highlighting the mass exodus of a country officially counting 7 million citizens, as well as the civilian nature of the protests. Serbs are rather skeptical about opposition parties and do not allow opposition politicians to lead demonstrations. According to his mood, it looks a lot like Ukraine under Yanukovych's reign.
In order to show his power and support, Alexander Vuchich organized a countermeasure – bringing people to a meeting with Putin. On 17 January, buses from all over the country traveled to the capital, organized by the authorities, the ruling party and local officials, although officially everything should not look like a goodwill of the citizens. Serbian media have published dozens of facts aimed at "encouraging" protesters: for example, in addition to free transport, farmers have offered 5 liters of milk and a "day" at the equivalent of 20 euros. Police reported more than 120,000 members of the rally, although third-party observers call fewer numbers.
Putin's meeting was organized in the best totalitarian traditions, with a lot of ostentation and chic. But the consequence will be only the next problems for Serbia, to which the Western partners have less and less confidence, and the intensification of tensions in the Balkans.
Everything makes sense: in fact, Russia's main export product is not gas, but hostility, conflict and problems.
Andriy Lyubok – writer
The opinions expressed in the "Perspective" section reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the author. Editorial team
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