Are Serbs the Russians of the Balkans?

This naive position based on a lack of basic knowledge is very similar to the way the Europeans treated Ukraine at the time of the Maidan and the beginning of Russian aggression, like what kind of people are those Ukrainians? It is probably a part of Russia, so let it remain in the sphere of influence of the Kremlin. And do they at least have their own language and culture? And are they any different from the Russians at all?

Besides, over the past four years, some false comparison of the Russian-Ukrainian war with the wars that broke out during the collapse of Yugoslavia stuck in the Ukrainian public discourse. Yugoslavia itself is frequently compared with the Soviet Union, and people often make analogies between Moscow and Belgrade.

There must clearly be specific grounds for such simplifications, but on the whole, they are erroneous, for they neither help understand the causes and extent of the catastrophe of the post-Yugoslav wars nor can they explain the real motives of Russian aggression in Ukraine to the world. The assertion that the Russians are the so-called “Serbs” and we are the so-called “Croats”, albeit delightful to the Ukrainian ear, is devoid of any sense. By using it we reduce the crimes of Russia, which does not only intend to annex some pieces of the Ukrainian territory but aims to undermine the very idea of a united Europe. Let’s not confuse nationalist and civilian regional wars and the desire to re-divide the continent all over again.

With this attitude to the Serbs, some Ukrainians even started to avoid the Serbian territory when going on vacation to Montenegro or Greece. They have such a negative image of the Serbs that our travelers do not even want to cross the territory of this “Russia of the Balkans” because they are afraid of provocations and the hostile attitude towards themselves. Nevertheless, the Serbs are not just a hospitable and pleasant people, they are also extremely benevolent and always ready to help. To be honest, I am not even sure if the Ukrainians are as hospitable as the Serbs.

And the notorious Pro-Russian identity of the Serbs is not as massive and all-encompassing as the Kremlin media are trying to persuade us it is. It is true that Serbia votes the way that is beneficial for Russia at the United Nations and tens of thousands of people are summoned up to the meetings with Putin in Belgrade. But recall Ukraine at the time of Yanukovych: people outside Ukraine might have thought that the Ukrainians were pro-Russian people ready to gladly fulfill every desire of the Kremlin. Whereas in reality, it was nowhere near that.

Something like this is happening now in Serbia under the rule of Aleksandar Vučić. It quickly acquires features of the authoritarian regime. Civil protest actions have been taking place in all major cities of the country for more than two months already. In Belgrade, they gather tens of thousands of people. The middle class, the students and a significant number of the intelligentsia not only oppose the ruling power, but they also despise it.

In addition, last year’s public opinion polls showed that 55% of the Serbs support joining the EU, while only 21% of those polled are against it. In the end, the most telling indicator is migration: it is not to Russia, but to the EU where the “pro-Russian” Serbs move to live and work.

This, however, does not mean that they are not Russophiles. The Serbs are the adherents of Russia, but this adherence is fictitious. First of all, it is connected with the fact that the Serbs do not know Russia, they do not have borders with it; that is why they made a somewhat romantic image of this “Orthodox sister”. It is hard for them to understand when I explain that for Ukraine, Russia is the same as the Ottoman Empire was for Serbia – a deadly threat. They always recall the story that Russia joined World War I for the sake of Serbia. At the same time, they do not realize that the interests of the Kremlin have always dictated Russian support of the Balkan Christians and its goal was to weaken Istanbul.

In fact, the Serbs could be pro-Ukrainian, but the problem is that nobody knows about Ukraine and the important pages of Ukrainian-Serbian cooperation here. For instance, several temples that are located in the religious sanctuary on Fruška Gora, (where there are more than twenty monasteries) were built in the style of the Cossack Baroque. At that time, Serbian priests received education at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine, so they brought this Ukrainian influence to their homeland. Moreover, for some time the Serbian written language used the Slavonic-Serbian language, which was a blend of Ukrainian, Serbian and Old Slavic.

The root of the problem lies in the fact that the words Rus and Russia have long been considered to be the same notion in the Serbian historiography. In his novel about the Ottoman times, even the brilliant Serbian intellectual Vladislav Bajac calls Roksolana the daughter of a Rus’ priest, and readers understand it as Russian. So they think it is logical: if the Russians were there in the Middle Ages, then where did the Ukrainians emerge from?

Ukraine could influence this situation and open the eyes of the Serbs to the truth. After all, it is already happening: “The Short History of Ukraine” appeared in Serbian translation last year.

It is essential for us as a political nation to stop responding to everything around us as a small person, i.e. through offending or slamming the doors. When we do not like Serbia’s position, it is necessary to put twice as much effort to defend our interests and not to put an end to the cooperation.

If it is not possible to negotiate with the authorities, then we have to address the Serbian people, first of all, through cultural diplomacy. If we want us to be perceived as the Ukrainians, then we must treat other peoples with due attention and respect. And before repeating the Kremlin propaganda that the Serbs are fraternal people of Russia, we have to study the history of the issue a bit more attentively.

And it will work. Yes, we should not expect anything extraordinary because the Serbs are not the Canadians and not the Poles.

But still, they are not the Russian, either.

Andriy Lyubka