Both Serbia and Russia have deep historical ties and a special partnership, including propaganda.

Relations between Serbia and Russia continue to be based on strong historical, cultural and religious foundations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, emphasizing that the two countries enjoy a special relationship that has survived for decades and continues to play an important role in Moscow's foreign policy.

Speaking to Russian media, Peskov said that Russia and Serbia share special historical, ethnic and religious ties, which distinguish their relations from those of Moscow with many other European countries. According to him, these ties have created a stable basis for cooperation between the two states, despite political changes and international challenges.

The Kremlin spokesman's comments came after he was asked whether Russia was losing allies in Europe, at a time when the political landscape on the continent is changing and when the political future of some leaders traditionally considered closer to Moscow remains unclear.

Peskov stressed that, although Serbia has close relations with Russia, it remains a sovereign state that decides for itself the direction of its development and how it faces internal and external challenges.

"Yes, we have special historical relations with the Serbs, special ethnic and religious ties, but they are an independent state that chooses its own path of development, faces its own difficulties and responds independently to the challenges it faces," he declared.

However, according to Peskov, this does not diminish the importance of the partnership between the two countries. He underlined that Serbia remains an important partner of Russia and that the relations built over the years allow the parties to openly discuss the most sensitive and urgent issues.

"Serbia is truly a country with which we have partnership relations. And this partnership enables us to discuss the most pressing issues," he said.

The Kremlin spokesman made a distinction between the historical relations that Russia has with Serbia and the relations it has had with other European leaders, emphasizing that cooperation between states must be seen through the prism of mutual interests.

According to him, when the interests of two countries align and create mutual benefits, then a true partnership is formed, which can survive even in periods of tension and political change.

Peskov's statements confirm once again that Moscow considers Serbia one of its closest partners in Europe, relying not only on current political and economic interests, but also on the long historical heritage, cultural proximity and religious ties that, according to the Kremlin, continue to be key elements in relations between the two countries.

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Propaganda and influence in the Balkans

In addition to the historical ties and political partnership between Moscow and Belgrade, Russia and Serbia have often been the subject of criticism from Western governments, international organizations, and security scholars, who accuse them of using propaganda and disinformation campaigns to increase their influence in the Western Balkans.

According to various international reports, pro-Russian media and networks linked to Kremlin narratives have continued to be active in the region, particularly in Serbia and in Serbian communities in neighboring countries including Kosovo.

These platforms promote narratives against Euro-Atlantic integration, foster distrust of Western institutions, and reinforce political and ethnic tensions in the region, often aiming to destabilize Kosovo.

Security analysts estimate that the Balkans remain one of the most sensitive areas to information warfare, where Russian influence is often fueled through traditional political, cultural and religious ties with Serbia./ The GeoPost