Batricevic: Serbian Orthodox Church plays key role in Russia’s hybrid actions

Boban Batricevic stated at Forum 2000 that the Serbian Orthodox Church plays a central role in Russia and Serbia’s hybrid actions in Montenegro and serves as a platform for spreading pan-Slavic and anti-Western narratives. He emphasized that the church, along with political and media support from Belgrade and Moscow, is attempting to delegitimize Montenegrin identity and establish Serbian influence in state institutions.

During the Forum 2000 international conference in Prague, Boban Batricevic, executive director of WestBalkanNet and member of the International Coalition for Democratic Reconstruction (ICDR), participated in a panel discussion on “Religion and the Russian Threat, Yesterday and Today,” organized in cooperation with the Václav Havel Library.

In his speech, Batricevic emphasized the role of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Russia and Serbia’s hybrid actions in Montenegro, describing this religious institution as the most important vehicle of Serbian cultural and identity-related influence in Montenegro.

“The Serbian Orthodox Church is a central instrument of the ‘Serbian World’ project in Montenegro. It delegitimizes Montenegrin history, culture, and statehood and serves as a platform for normalizing pan-Slavic and anti-Western narratives,” he said.

He added that after the failed coup in Montenegro in 2016, Russia had shifted to gentler forms of influence through the church and pro-Serbian political parties. According to him, the 2020 parliamentary elections were won by parties involved in the coup attempt, while the new government was formed in a monastery under the control of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which has clear political symbolism.

Batricević emphasized that Montenegrin nationality, alongside Bosniak identity in Bosnia and Albanian identity in Kosovo, is one of the main obstacles to the hegemonic project of the “Serbian World.” He warned that Serbian-Russian influence via the Serbian Orthodox Church and other hybrid networks poses a serious threat to security in the Balkans and Europe./Gazeta Express/