Putin’s Ally Cryptic Message Sparks Fears of New War

Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vučić, has posted a message on social media about an unspecified threat to his country, which has prompted comments about whether he was talking about involvement in an imminent conflict.

Vučić has often boasted of his relationship with Vladimir Putin and he refused to introduce sanctions against Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Moscow is also Serbia’s main ally in opposing the independence of its former province of Kosovo.

“It is hard to say what news we have received in the last 48 hours which directly threaten the vital national interests of both Serbia and Srpska,” Vučić wrote, referring to the Serb majority entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Vučić announced that in the coming days, he will inform the people of Serbia about all the problems that lie ahead. “It will be difficult. We will fight. Serbia will win,” he added, according to a translation, without specifying further.

Newsweek reached out to the Serbian presidency for comment.

The post’s cryptic nature, coupled with the lack of a corresponding warning on the Serbian presidency’s website, led to speculation among social media users.

“What is this post for? Say right away who is threatening and with what,” wrote one commenter, “enough of these mysterious and empty stories.”

“Serbia and our people will win! Commander-in-Chief, the Serbian youth is with you!” wrote another user. One post said, “just let there be no war.”

The comments were eventually disabled but not before one Instagram user commented, “Dear President, do not instill fear in us. If you already want to let us know something, please do so as soon as possible. We, as a nation, have been worried and waiting for quite some time now!”

Nikola Mikovic, a Belgrade-based political analyst, said Vučić has previously talked about “difficult decisions” that Serbia has to make and alleged Western pressure on the Serbian leadership.

“But generally, ‘difficult days for Serbia’ is his well-known rhetoric,” Mikovic told Newsweek. “He used it so many times in the past that very few people still pay attention to such a narrative.”

“Since he mentioned Republika Srpska, it is entirely possible that he indirectly referred to the fact that High Representative Christian Schmidt used his powers to impose legislation on Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is something that Republika Srpska firmly opposes,” he said.

Shmidt, the international official who oversees Bosnia and Herzegovina’s ongoing peace deal, this week imposed changes to the country’s election law, including ensuring electoral fairness.

Republika Srpska president, Milorad Dodik, rejected Schmidt’s move and has often made threats to secede from Bosnia Hercegovina.

Mikovic said: “There is no military threat. Nobody will invade Serbia, and I don’t expect Serbia to launch a war against the U.S.-backed Kosovo, as that would be a suicide mission. Also, at this point, I don’t see a potential for a large-scale destabilization of the region that is deeply in the Western geopolitical orbit.”