Serbian president confirms Russia warned him about coup risk
President Aleksandar Vucic said national security agencies have been working on leads provided by Moscow.
Russia has informed Serbia of a potential coup attempt, President Aleksandar Vucic told journalists on August 9. The leader's statement came a day before a planned protest in the country's capital. According to Vucic, the Serbian Security Intelligence Service (BIA) is already acting on the tip-off.
“We have received official information from the Russian Federation, which is being transmitted and passed on through official channels,” the president said, adding that the authorities “are dealing with this issue” and there is no reason to worry.
Mr Vucic did not elaborate on where the threat might come from or who might be behind the alleged coup attempt. He maintained that those who "dream" of achieving anything in such a way should know that "they will not succeed".
"Serbia is moving forward and they cannot and will not stop it," he added.
Earlier, several Serbian media outlets reported that Russian security agencies had allegedly warned Mr. Vucic about large-scale riots being prepared in Serbia with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the country's leadership.
Serbian daily Vecernje Novosti announced early on August 9 that it had obtained a “color revolution manual” that was allegedly distributed to participants in ecological protests scheduled for August 10. The media outlet said the contents of the “manual” described methods reminiscent of “color revolutions” in other countries, adding that the protests in the country were likely coordinated from some “power center” abroad but did not accuse anyone in particular.
The news comes as Serbia braces for possible ecological protests this weekend over a major lithium mining project. The government sees the $2.4 billion project as a major boost to the Serbian economy, while opponents say it will “free the European Union from dependence on China” for lithium at the expense of Serbian health.
