Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has claimed that the West is allegedly planning to destabilize the situation in Serbia, where students have been protesting for days following the collapse of the train station roof.
What did Zakharova say?
“Western countries are developing plans to destabilize the situation in Serbia, using mechanisms inspired by ‘color revolutions’ and applying pressure on the legitimate authorities in the country,” she said.
“They are trying to push the leadership into a position where they will have to choose: either continue the policy for the benefit of their people or return to the path of compromise,” she continued in a statement published by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
She also mentioned Kosovo, continuing the disinformation narrative by claiming that “the government of Kosovo, with the approval of the U.S. and the EU, is attempting to expel the Serbian population from Kosovo.”
Analysis:
The claims made by Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova are part of a broader Russian narrative, where disinformation is used to portray the West as an obstacle and a source of instability in Serbia.
It is not true that the West is involved in the protests taking place in Serbia, as the West supports the right to protest and freedom of expression.
The reason for the protests in Serbia is the tragedy in Novi Sad, where demonstrators are demanding justice for the construction work at the train station.
The Russian narrative always comes to the aid of the Serbian regime when it faces internal issues. In this case, the disinformation about alleged forced expulsions of the Serbian population from Kosovo, when in fact Serbs in Kosovo enjoy extensive rights as a national minority, is used to divert attention from the real causes of the protests.
/The Geopost
