Russia Accuses EU of Bid to Stage 'Colour Revolution' in Serbia

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Moscow claims European elites are radicalising Serbian youth and bankrolling local media to push regime change, but patriotic sentiment and Orthodox Church remain obstacles.

By TRH Global Affairs Desk

NEW DELHI, September 16, 2025 — Russia has accused the European Union of engineering the unrest sweeping Serbia, warning that Brussels is attempting to stage yet another “colour revolution” in the Balkans.

In a statement issued by its Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Moscow alleged that the current wave of protests in Serbia — marked by an unusually high participation of young people — is not a spontaneous eruption of dissent but a product of “subversive activities” by the EU and its member states.

“The European liberal mainstream aims to bring to power in Serbia an obedient, Brussels-loyal leadership,” the SVR said. According to Moscow, Western influence has already radicalised sections of Serbian youth, pushing demonstrations from peaceful protest into “revolutionary” methods of struggle and violence.

Yet, Russia insists that the playbook that succeeded elsewhere is faltering in Belgrade. Three factors, it argues, are frustrating Brussels’ strategy: Serbia’s enduring patriotic sentiment, the unifying force of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and the still-raw memory of NATO’s bombing campaign in the late 1990s that dismembered the country.

The Russian intelligence agency claimed the EU is now trying to leverage the upcoming anniversary of the Novi Sad tragedy on November 1 to turn public anger in its favour. The strategy, Moscow warned, hinges on “brainwashing” Serbian youth with promises of a “bright European future.”

A special role, the statement alleged, has been assigned to local media and NGOs. “Supposedly independent” outlets, including FoNet, RAM Network, Vreme, JuzneVesti, Slobodnarec, Boom93, and others, are being reinforced with “democratic European money,” according to the SVR. Brussels, it claimed, hopes that bankrolling such organisations will mobilise protest voters and deliver a “Serbian Maidan.”

For Moscow, this narrative feeds into a broader geopolitical struggle. The Kremlin portrays itself as the guardian of Serbian sovereignty and cultural pride against what it sees as Western-backed manipulation. By invoking NATO’s past aggression, Russia seeks to remind Serbs of the costs of aligning too closely with Europe.

The European Union, meanwhile, frames its outreach as part of Serbia’s long-delayed accession path — a promise Moscow dismisses as “bait” that comes at the expense of Serbia’s independence and ancestral memory.

Whether the protests in Serbia reflect genuine grassroots frustration or the geopolitical tug-of-war between East and West, one fact is clear: Serbia once again finds itself in the crosshairs of great-power rivalry. As Moscow and Brussels trade accusations, the real battle may not be on the streets but in shaping how Serbs themselves interpret their nation’s future.

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