Moscow is regaining sway in the Balkans
Aid, warplanes and propaganda convince Serbs that Russia is their friend
“HERE are the Russian missiles!” chortles Viacheslav Vlasenko, co-director of the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Centre in Nis, a town in central Serbia. He gestures at the contents of his warehouse: tents, generators, inflatable boats and other goods one would expect to use in disaster relief. The centre, which shares a building near the airport with several local IT companies, is simply a facility for responding to floods, forest fires and other emergencies, says Mr Vlasenko.
Yet Western analysts worry that it may be something more: a spying post or even a foothold for Russian intervention. As the influence of America and the European Union has receded in the western Balkans, Russia has been trying to fill the vacuum. It has stepped up military co-operation with Serbia, and may have been involved in a recent alleged coup attempt in Montenegro. Moscow’s goal is to stop Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Montenegro from joining NATO and to turn them away from the West.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline "Russian overtures"
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