Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has fiercely condemned allegations from top Serbian leadership claiming that Zagreb is orchestrating and financing the historic anti-government student protests paralyzing Belgrade.
Speaking on Monday following a meeting of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) Presidency, Plenković flatly rejected the claims, framing them as a desperate political distraction that highlights the immense structural breakdown currently shaking the Serbian state.
The Accusation: Belgrade Claims “Strategic Interes” of Zagreb
The diplomatic spat ignited after Ana Brnabić, the President of the Serbian National Assembly and a prominent figure in the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), publicly attacked the Belgrade student movement.
Brnabić asserted that the university students leading the mass protests receive their most substantial foreign backing “directly from Zagreb.” She claimed that toppling Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić remains a “strategic interest” for Croatia. In a highly controversial statement, Brnabić went a step further, targeting domestic critics:
Ana Brnabić’s Ultimatum to Protesters: “I simply cannot comprehend how people born and raised in Serbia can actively fight to fulfill the strategic interests of Croatia. If they do not like Serbia, they should pack up and move to Croatia.”
Plenković’s Rebuttal: Real Economic Migration vs. Political Myths
Prime Minister Plenković dismissed the allegations as completely “fabricated narratives” designed to deflect from Serbia’s complex internal challenges.
Responding to Brnabić’s suggestion that dissatisfied Serbians should leave for Croatia, Plenković weaponized regional economic data, pointing out the existing, massive cross-border labor migration:
- Real Economic Indicators: “If it makes their lives easier to blame Croatia for everything, fine, let them spin their narratives. However, we are tracking an astronomical number of Serbian citizens who voluntarily migrate to Croatia for seasonal and permanent employment every single year,” Plenković noted.
- The Standard of Living: The Prime Minister emphasized that this rapidly growing influx of Serbian workers proves that average citizens view Croatia as a highly stable, prosperous environment to secure their livelihoods, regardless of Belgrade’s anti-Croat rhetoric.
Concurrently, the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Gordan Jandroković, labeled Brnabić’s statements “utterly nonsensical.” Jandroković advised the Serbian leadership to redirect their energy toward stabilizing their own domestic economy, noting that Belgrade has spent years lagging significantly behind Zagreb’s macroeconomic growth.
Domestic Affairs: Plenković Uses “Hipodrom” Corruption Scandal to Strike Opposition
Turning his attention back to internal Croatian politics, Plenković leveraged a major anti-corruption breakthrough to launch a political assault on his domestic rival, Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević.
Earlier on Monday, Kosta Kostanjević, the former director of Zagreb’s municipal sports facility management body (USO), secured a plea bargain with the anti-corruption police unit, USKOK.
[The "Hipodrom" Corruption Verdict Summary]
│
├─► Defendant: Kosta Kostanjević (Former USO Director)
├─► Conviction: Agreement with USKOK after full confession
├─► Prison Sentence: 2 Years and 5 Months
├─► Financial Payout: €45,000 State Fine + €450,000 Restitution of Illegal Bribes
Kostanjević was sentenced to nearly two and a half years in prison and ordered to pay a €40,000 fine, alongside the total forfeiture of €450,000 in illegal kickbacks pocketed during the high-profile “Hipodrom” real estate and management scandal.
Plenković emphasized that while opposition figures are attempting to downplay the verdict as a mere procedural “settlement,” it is a formal admission of massive structural theft. He labeled the corruption revelation a “devastating blow” to the integrity of Mayor Tomašević’s green-left administration, warning that opposition elements in Croatia are attempting to deflect from their own corruption crises by trying to mimic foreign protest scenarios.
