Arben Fetoshi, Director of the Octopus Security Institute, has strongly criticized the recent military parade in Belgrade, describing it as an extension of Russian provocations in the Balkans, rather than a routine ceremonial display.
In a public statement, Fetoshi argued that behind the parade lies the fear and crisis of President Aleksandar Vučić’s regime, noting that tanks had been stationed in Belgrade for more than ten days and that police had prevented protesters from voicing their opposition.
“Another Stalin-style intimidation,” Fetoshi quoted a friend from Belgrade as saying, adding that the hope remains for such hostile policies to collapse soon.
Fetoshi linked the parade to similar events in Beijing and Moscow, which, according to him, Vučić uses to showcase supposed regional supremacy, fuel nationalism, and secure political support through propaganda and manipulation.
“The militarization of Serbia is not neutrality or modernization, but part of a strategic communication aimed at imposing military power as an instrument of revisionist and expansionist politics,” he stressed.
The Octopus director warned that Serbia, by simultaneously equipping itself with French, Russian, and Chinese military systems, is positioning itself as the largest military force in the Western Balkans, in line with its “Serbian World” project.
He concluded by emphasizing that the parade should be treated as a wake-up call for Kosovo and its Euro-Atlantic partners.
“Exposing the Belgrade parade as a continuation of Russian provocations against NATO and the Euro-Atlantic order is not just rhetoric, but a signal of threatening plans against Kosovo and the region’s security architecture,” Fetoshi stated.
