Overview

• Russia accuses the West of orchestrating anti-government street protests in Belgrade, Serbia, which turned violent on Sunday.
• The Russian ambassador to Serbia claims there is 'irrefutable evidence' of a Western plot, echoing Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's claims of outside forces seeking a 'color revolution'.
• Protests began over allegations of a rigged general election on Dec. 17, with the opposition staging daily street protests over the past week.
• Western countries have been muted in their criticism of the election, with the U.S. ambassador to Serbia calling on the country to address 'deficiencies' in the electoral system.
• Serbia applied to join the European Union in 2009, but its application has been stalled for years, with growing pressure from the West on Vucic to pick a side since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.