In an exclusive interview with ‘Balkan Diplomat’, Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Serbia, discussed the current state of Russian-Serbian cooperation in various fields against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world.
– Mr. Ambassador, what is your assessment of the general political situation in Serbia? The protesters in the streets are demanding Aleksandar Vučić’s resignation and an early election. The President has agreed to hold the election in late 2026. Should we expect drastic changes or will the current power model persist? Vučić is rumoured to take the Prime-Minister’s chair.
– This will entirely depend on the freely expressed will of the Serbian citizens. Russia fully respects their choice. We are certainly interested in the Serbian state remaining stable, continuing gradual social and economic development, and strengthening its sovereignty. A highly significant factor in this regard is maintaining comprehensive and mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia.
The protests reached their peak between late 2024 and the first half of 2025. Currently, the protest movement is acquiring a distinctive political dimension, including in the context of potential early parliamentary elections. The situation in Serbia can be described as calm, with the security agencies fully maintaining law and order, despite the resumption of large-scale protests in May.
Talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić
– Do you think the protests that have been going on in the country for more than a year are indeed student demonstrations? Or is someone pulling the strings from behind the scenes? Whatever the motive, most of the protesters are nevertheless patriots. Do pro-Western liberals want to gain power on the protesters’ backs?
– Any protest movement involves diverse groups of citizens that are often driven by completely opposite motives. Among the participants of the rallies in Serbia are many of those who were shocked by the tragedy in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024, as well as those who are frustrated by particular social problems that exist in one way or another in any country. On the other hand, there are those who see it as a suitable moment to realise their political ambitions. It is also clear that external forces are attempting to exploit the situation for their own interests. The Serbian authorities have repeatedly stated that they possess evidence of the involvement of foreign states and their intelligence agencies in fuelling the protests.
The European Union has been making vigorous attempts to force Belgrade to recognise the ‘independence’ of Kosovo and join illegal anti-Russian restrictive measures, ignoring the firm position of the Serbian leadership and population on both issues. It is important to understand that chaos inside the country would benefit Brussels. There have been numerous examples of how the West, exploiting democratization slogans and hiding behind the masses, has cynically, purposefully and blatantly interfered in the internal affairs of some states. One need only look back at the events of the Kiev Maidan in 2013–2014, which led to truly catastrophic consequences for Ukraine and triggered a global crisis.
That is why we are committed to the idea of peaceful and lawful development of political processes in Serbia, free from external pressure. We sincerely support the Serbian people and wish them wisdom and dignity
to overcome all trials in these difficult times.
The Immortal Regiment march in Belgrade on the 80th anniversary of Victory Day
– The situation surrounding the autonomous Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija remains highly explosive. Pristina is de facto conducting an ethnic cleansing of the Serbian population in the province. What are the chances of preventing the complete eradication of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija?
– I agree with your assessment. The situation is complicated by the fact that the negotiation process between Belgrade and Pristina under the auspices of the EU has hit a dead end. The previously reached agreements, the key one being the establishment of the Association of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo, remain unfulfilled by Pristina. Meanwhile, the blame for the lack of progress is being laid on the Serbian side, in the worst traditions of Western ‘double standards’.
The causes of this state of affairs are largely evident: the bureaucrats in Brussels presenting themselves as ‘honest brokers’ openly support the unilaterally proclaimed Kosovo ‘independence’. Pristina, in turn, is striving to demonstrate its full commitment to the ‘Euro-Atlantic course’ going so far as to flirt with the regime in Kiev and engage in unlawful involvement in a military alliance with NATO countries – Albania and Croatia. All this is a serious threat to peace and stability in the Balkans.
Our position remains unchanged: Kosovo and Metohija is an autonomous province within the Republic of Serbia. The problem can only be solved based on international law and UN Security Council resolution 1244. The Russian Federation consistently advocates this approach in international forums and works actively within the UN Security Council to ensure the Kosovo issue remains on the Council’s agenda.
Russia is deeply concerned about the fate of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. We will continue to support Belgrade’s attempts to protect the lawful rights and interests of the Serbian population in the province.
International Parliamentary Conference ‘BRICS – Serbia among Friends’ at the National Assembly of Serbia
– How would you characterise the state of Russian ‘soft power’ in Serbia? The Russian House in Belgrade is actively organising conferences, seminars, and other cultural events. Could you tell us more about this work? What about cooperation with political parties and public organisations?
– The Russian-Serbian relations are historically based on a very solid foundation – the cultural and spiritual affinity of our peoples. It is crucial to preserve and multiply our traditions of friendship, ensuring they are passed down to new generations. In this context, humanitarian cooperation plays a special role.
We are witnessing growing interest in the activities of the Russian House in Belgrade on the part of the Serbian public. The scale of the work is evidenced by the number of events held – in 2025, about five hundred events were organised. Among the cultural projects implemented in recent months, I would highlight the ‘Hermitage Days in Serbia’ and the multimedia exhibition ‘Peter the Great and Serbia’ organised with the support of Gazprom Neft, and the Days of Russian Spiritual Culture in Serbia, which included concerts by the ‘Rossiya’ State Academic Ensemble and the Sretensky Monastery Choir in several Serbian cities.
The Russian House serves as the venue for fascinating film screenings, musical and literary evenings, book launches, scientific conferences, Russian language courses, workshops for teachers, and contests for school and university students. It also regularly arranges presentations of Russian universities, which provide local school leavers with information about university curricula and help them to enrol in Russian universities under state quotas. Every year, more than one hundred young people from Serbia take advantage of this opportunity.
We also open the Embassy doors to university students for study visits – this year, our guests were future lawyers from Belgrade and Niš universities, as well as future Russian language professionals.
Particular attention is paid to producing Serbian documentaries about Russia and its regions. For example, the Kozarski brothers’ project ‘Kulturista in Russia’ on the Balkan Trip channel is extremely popular in Serbia. It is also available on major online media platforms. In one of our conversations, President Vučić said that he watches the series with great interest and spoke highly of it. That says it all.
We are actively fostering cooperation with the public organisations, expert community, youth unions, expanding our geography to embrace various Serbian regions. We also maintain contacts with representatives of political circles who express interest in cooperation with Russia, which is standard diplomatic practice.
With his wife and Serbian Culture Minister Nikola Selaković at the opening of the exhibition ‘Code of Victory: Stalingrad’ at the Russian House in Belgrade
– Serbia is home to a significant number of our compatriots. At the same time, their attitude toward Russia is often hostile, which comes as a surprise to the Serbs themselves. Should we engage with these people?
– Answering this question, I would first of all like to highlight the fruitful and productive activity of the Coordination Council of Organisations of Russian Compatriots in Serbia, which unites about twenty associations of Russians. Its core activists make an immense contribution to consolidating the Russian community and implementing important and much-needed initiatives that are fully supported by the Embassy. It is also encouraging that the KSORC projects are engaging an increasing number of young people who have recently moved here.
To be objective, only an overwhelming minority of Russian citizens express an openly hostile attitude toward Russia. Some ‘professional revolutionaries’ have also shown up in Serbia, though without any tangible results. As you correctly noted, Serbs are surprised in such cases. And at the same time, they understand what is going on.
Whatever the case, life abroad often helps to get rid of some illusions and stereotypes, gain a new perspective on your own country, and see value in things you used to take for granted.
The primary objectives of the Embassy are to uphold the sovereignty and lawful interests of the Russian Federation by diplomatic means and methods, as well as protect the rights of its citizens and legal persons abroad. To serve the Fatherland is a great honour and an even greater responsibility. But it is this responsibility that helps build inner strength, readiness and ability to overcome challenges rather than run from them – all those qualities that are absolutely essential in any circumstances.
A reception marking Russia Day at the Russian Embassy in Serbia
– Could you comment on the situation around NIS? Are there still any promising areas of economic cooperation in Russian-Serbian relations today? Or has the West completely reduced Moscow-Belgrade relations to history and culture alone?
– The problems with NIS have been triggered by the US sanctions policy, which leads to undermining mutually beneficial economic cooperation between Russia and European countries, with the latter suffering the main damage.
This case involves a key element of Serbia’s national fuel and energy complex, which raises entirely justified concerns among our partners. Years of highly professional joint efforts by the Russian and Serbian sides have made NIS one of the most efficient and technologically innovative energy companies not only in the Balkans but also far beyond it. Numerous investment programmes, as well as social and humanitarian projects have been implemented. We should also remember the contribution of Gazprom Neft to the interior decoration of the Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade, which holds immense historical and spiritual value for the Serbian people.
Amidst the current challenging conditions, the Russian management of NIS, in cooperation with the Serbian government, was able to seamlessly ensure the functioning of the oil refinery in the city of Pančevo and the extensive network of petrol stations. Serbian citizens – and this is of paramount importance – have not felt any effects of the sanctions imposed.
In the course of negotiations over the future of NIS, the parties maintain respectful and trust-based relations. Our premise is that the final agreements should benefit both Russian and Serbian interests and, of course, fully ensure the energy security of Serbia.
Indeed, Western countries would like to completely oust Russia from the Balkans and are making significant efforts to achieve this goal. However, we too are working tirelessly. Russian-Serbian economic cooperation will continue. Certainly, it is not developing today as fast as it could under normal conditions due to logistical challenges. But the process is going on. Serbia, despite immense pressure, has not joined the anti-Russian sanctions, which we greatly appreciate.
Russia remains a key supplier of energy to Serbia, at highly favourable prices. Both sides are interested in fostering collaboration in industry, transport infrastructure, agriculture, and tourism. Joint projects are already being implemented in the sphere of digital technologies. Russian IT-companies and retail networks are expanding their presence in the Serbian market.
One of the new key dimensions could be cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The Rosatom State Corporation possesses extensive experience and could make a tremendous contribution to the development of Serbia’s energy sector, nuclear medicine, and other areas.
International Conference ‘Dayton-30’ in Belgrade
– Which of the Russian regions are at the forefront of cooperation with Serbia? And what is the potential for strengthening this cooperation?
– Traditionally, Moscow and Saint Petersburg maintain close contacts with their Serbian partners. In recent years, cooperation between Serbian municipalities and the Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrugs has reached impressive proportions.
The Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod, and Tula regions are expressing a keen interest in cooperation with Serbia. Their representatives took part in the 21st meeting of the Russian-Serbian Intergovernmental Committee on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, held this April in Belgrade. By the way, the Russian-Balkan Centre for Business Cooperation and Culture is successfully developing in Ivanovo. Only recently, Nizhny Novgorod became the fifth Russian city to be linked by direct flights with Belgrade, alongside the previously mentioned Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan, and Sochi. And Tula State University is among the leaders in promoting the Russian language in Serbia.
I would like to highlight the visit to Serbia by Aleksandr Voloshin, the representative of the Donetsk People’s Republic in the Federation Council, in December 2025. On that occasion, the senator was accompanied by the youth team of Shakhtar Donetsk which participated in the International Youth Futsal Friendship Cup, the first tournament abroad, where the team competed under the Russian flag. We are preparing to continue our cooperation along these lines.
Interregional connections are a natural and effective tool that helps to strengthen friendly relations between our countries and peoples. Russian regions possess significant economic, scientific, cultural, and educational resources, which is well-known to our Serbian partners who try to leverage these opportunities to implement joint projects.
A promising platform for fostering new business partnerships, including those between Russian and Serbian regions, will be the International Specialised EXPO 2027, which will be held in Belgrade from May to August 2027. And, of course, tremendous potential lies in the military-memorial sphere. Serbs deeply revere the memory of the soldiers of the Red Army and the People’s Liberation Army of Yugoslavia who fought side by side to liberate the country from German fascist aggressors and their satellites, and are completely open to any efforts aimed at immortalising their valour.
Interviewer: Evgeny Osenkov
Photo: Lola Djordjevic, Sputnik Serbia
