Russian state media in Serbia support the government with anti-Western narratives

While EU member states have banned the broadcasting of Russian state media due to their propaganda reporting and the spread of disinformation, the work of these media in Serbia remains unhindered, even though their influence is great. Most of the main pro-government media regularly broadcast news published by Russian state media such as RT Balkan and Sputnik Serbia.

The strong influence of these media is reflected in various opinion polls on citizens’ attitudes towards Russia. According to the survey published in April 2023 by the organization “New Third Way”, about 66% of citizens believe that the West is responsible for the war in Ukraine, while only 21% blame Russia, writes EWB, reports The Geopost.

Moreover, the same poll found that almost 48% of Serbian citizens consider Russia to be Serbia’s most important political and economic partner, while only 30% say it is the EU.

Russian state media in Serbia is not only a pervasive channel for spreading Kremlin propaganda, but also serves as a platform for spreading narratives that are useful for Serbian state officials.

As EWB reported, Russian state media helped the Serbian ruling party and President Vučić to control the narrative during the mass protests following the tragedies in May, as well as during the election process. Russian media coverage of these events did not differ significantly from the pro-government tabloids.

“Color revolutions”, “new squares” and “overthrow of the Serbian state by the West” – are some of the regular labels used by Serbian authorities to describe all anti-government protests and opposition activities. Russian state media have also used such narratives when interpreting political events in Serbia.

During the election process, negative campaigns against the citizens’ initiative “ProGlas”, for example, were not only found in the pro-government media, but also in the Russian state media. For example, RT Balkan “investigated” the connections of “ProGlas” with non-governmental organizations, Soros, CIA…

Such an analysis by RT Balkan ended up on the front page of the pro-government tabloid Informer, while the article was also published in the print edition of Serbia’s oldest daily newspaper, Politika.

Vladimir Djordjevic, assistant professor at the Institute of Territorial Studies at the Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies at Mendel University in Brno, believes that Russian state media such as RT Balkan or Sputnik never criticize the political elites, no matter what they do.

“They also give them space to slander the West. For example, in the case of the Serbian president, it was reported several times that he had been very critical of the EU. “On the other hand, they did not report when he praised the EU for helping and supporting Serbia,” said Djordjevic.

He adds that Russian media often use existing nationalist narratives, especially those in Serbia and Republika Srpska, and sometimes offer Russian solutions to the situation in the region.

“Russian propaganda often uses nationalist narratives that are already known and established in countries such as Serbia or the Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is usually the basis for their communication in this region. This creates the perception among the citizens of Russia as the protector of Serbia’s national interests,” believes Djordjevic.

He adds that Russia uses its media to project its power and influence in the Western Balkans region, while Russia’s role and importance for the countries in the region is often mythologized.

In addition to Serbia, the launch of the Russian state media RT Balkans was also announced in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Experts believe that the launch of RT Balkan in Bosnia and Herzegovina could further deepen the political and ethnic polarization in this country.

“The opening of a media outlet that is directly financed by the Russian state will also make the problem of polarization in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkans problematic.” “This polarization will largely follow national lines, because in my opinion the Russian state is actually abusing the nationalist narratives in the region and using them for its own propaganda,” Djordjevic emphasizes.

He adds that Russian propaganda is quite successful in creating a negative image of the West in Serbia and the Western Balkans.

/The Geopost