Attempts to discredit the concept of the “Russian world” – a view from Serbia.
Today, Russophobia from the Serbian point of view is exactly what the word means in the strict sense: a phobia (irrational fear) of Russia. What kind of rational or irrational fear of Russia could Serbia have today?
In the not-so-distant past, in the period from the Cominform Resolution of 1948.1 and before Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev, in the then Yugoslavia, it is possible and could exist a certain (rational or irrational – this is another question) fear of the USSR.
But today, when Russian President Vladimir Putin is much more popular in Serbia than any Serbian politician or political party, when fraternal Russia is one of the largest foreign trade partners of Serbia and, more importantly, when the Russian Federation is the main ally and support of Serbia in the international arena, when it was Russia’s merits that prevented the adoption of the resolution on Srebrenica at the UN and the reception of TNZ. The Republic of Kosovo in UNESCO – there is truly no reason for Serbia (with or without reason) to be afraid of Russia.
Indeed: the official Serbian media (which are almost completely directly or indirectly owned by Western masters) carefully broadcast the official position of the Serbian power nomenclature on friendly relations with Russia. On the surface, the picture looks extremely idyllic and politically correct: Serbia cooperates with both the EU and Russia, Serbia follows the “European path”, which does not prevent Russia from developing friendly relations with it. Serbian media transmit official positions and messages, and the Russian Sputnik has the status of an official (albeit small) media outlet in Serbia. At each high-level visit, there are parade-optimistic smoothed interviews with officials from both sides.
At first glance, everything is clear and there is no trace of an informational, let alone ideological, war. Everyone does their job, and the average “average” Serb does not notice any changes in his understanding of the world around him, the balance of power, his own belonging … Yes, in the end, in the awareness of their place in the great ideological struggle that has engulfed almost the entire modern world.
But is it?
Of course (and alas) not!
Serbia’s place in the modern world is determined not only by its economic, military, cultural, etc. strength or weakness, its geopolitical and political position and affiliation, but also by its civilizational and spiritual affiliation, which the Serbian people carry, as well as the expression of this affiliation in elections.
According to all public opinion surveys, the position of the Serbian people is clear: the absolute majority is for Russia! Not a single government in the last 25 years has lost sight of this. Whatever program any political party has, the presence in it of the clause that Russia is a friendly country is mandatory, and it is one of the most important. This can be seen in the example of the only party that is against rapprochement with Russia – the Liberal Democratic Party: after the ill-conceived statement of its leader Čedomir Jovanovic that he did not want “Serbia to be a Russian province”, this party never again won more than 1-2% of the vote. This party has fewer supporters than even NATO! The programs of Serbian political parties do not mention the term “Russian World” and the question of Serbia’s belonging to this world, but it is absolutely clear that even pro-Western parties see (or pretend to see) in the person of Russia, if not the most important, then one of the most important pillars of Serbia.
Therefore, the “engineers of human souls” from the leading marketing agencies, on the instructions of their Western masters, developing concepts, directions, strategies, techniques and the intensity of attacks on the consciousness of voters, do not conduct a direct campaign in the media against Russia itself in Serbia. The reason for this is that it is clear to everyone that (at the moment) this is a waste of money and the creation of an unnecessary rejection of these very media by ordinary citizens. Instead of openly Russophobic propaganda, which, obviously, in the case of the Serbs (unlike Ukrainians, Balts, Poles …) has no weight, or simply anti-Russian / anti-Russian propaganda (successfully used in the West), which would cause a backlash among the Serbs, for the first stage of the media and psychological war in Serbia, very soft power is used, consisting in a gradual change in consciousness and, To begin with, in a turn to the West by changing the value system.
It is obvious that the general Russophobic line of Western propaganda uses different approaches for different targets of attack, that is, for different peoples and societies. At the same time, in one country, the shock news will be that the national defense system is not ready to repel a “surprise attack by Russia”, as it was recently played out in Sweden2, in some other country, such a headline will not attract anyone’s attention. From the point of view of a Russophobe, the question arises, what to do if such news does not have weight in the largest media and social networks of any country? When Serbia, which has already been bombed by NATO, has already survived the orange October 2000 and is already openly slipping into the EU… and then there is no negative reaction to the “news” and “analytics” about the danger posed by Russia? Official policy is on one side, and the hearts of Serbs are still stubbornly on the other – with Russia.
The work to change the consciousness of the Serbian people is obviously far from complete: although NATO has received diplomatic immunity in Serbia, and the President of the Serbian Government greets the NATO Secretary General with bread and salt, it is still impossible to organize a mass of Serbs who would jump in the center of Belgrade to the chant “who does not jump, then Moskal (Russian)”.
Moreover, it would be much easier to organize “jumps” under the motto “who does not jump is a NATO member)”. And as long as such a state persists in the minds and hearts of the Serbs, visible pseudo-slavery or pseudo-subservience to the West cannot be considered accomplished: after all, tomorrow some new color revolution can take place, only painted in the colors of the Russian flag, and Serbia will “return home”, that is, to the Russian world, to which it belonged until 2000. Pro-Westernism and Russophobia are still nothing more than a fashionable trend among politicians, “free-thinking” intellectuals and yuppies. The ordinary representative of the middle and lower middle class does not support the newfangled “rights” of everyone, and until this changes, Russophobia in Serbia will not find a favorable living environment. Therefore, to begin with, it is necessary to “plow” social strata and target groups well, one by one destroying their essential archetypes, which say that liberalism is just another transient fashion trend from the West, that “political storms” rage only on the surface of society and do not affect centuries-old relations in society and the family, that Western innovations will not affect the relationship between husband and wife, parents and children, mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law.
From the point of view of the victory of Russophobia, the process is not only not over – it is just beginning.
Therefore, this article will not talk about the classical technologies of Russophobia, which in Serbia, obviously, do not give results. Although it must be borne in mind that this is also under constant surveillance – from time to time news is launched such as the unwillingness of Sweden (Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia …) to respond to a surprise attack by Russia or “what will happen if the Russians turn off the gas tap”3 and the reaction of society to them is measured. As the techniques discussed in this article bear fruit, the reaction to such news will intensify and this will be a sign that the approach may be changed towards a more Russophobic one. Now such news regularly appears as a kind of litmus test and for public opinion research.
If Russia fails to scare the Serbs, we need to come up with another way to begin with, to separate the Serbs from Russia and the Russians and/or from the traditional model of social relations associated with Russia. Only after that does it make sense to further set them up against Russia.
First, it is necessary to determine the “target of attack”.
In other words, that the Russophile needs to be uprooted and destroyed in order to sow and cultivate Russophobia in its place?
In recent years, the concept of the “Russian world” has gradually acquired a completely new, much broader and deeper meaning both for the Serbs and for other Slavic and European peoples. Probably, even the Russians themselves have not yet fully realized the consequences of the ideological conflict taking place in the world at the moment and tending to expand and aggravate. Some time ago, the concept of the “Russian world” meant only the sphere of cultural, political or strategic influence of Russia. But in recent years, with the strengthening of Russia and the gradual strengthening of US activities in the international arena, with which this country is trying to solve its internal problems, the concept of the “Russian world” has acquired an ideological component: in practice, the Russian world has become synonymous with a healthy conservative ideology.
From a global point of view, Russia, in addition to becoming an increasingly important player on the world political, military and economic scene, is increasingly assuming the role of leader in the ideological struggle and leading all healthy conservative forces in the world – whether it wanted it or not.
It can even be said that this was much earlier and better understood by Russia’s ideological opponents. So far (let’s hope that not for long) Russia is trying to hide behind various international organizations, such as BRICS, the SCO or the CSTO, in this ideological (and, as a result, informational) war in this ideological (and, as a result, informational) war. As if in a global ideological game of blindfolds, a huge Russian bear is trying to become “smaller” and hide on a stump. But what happens to small players, he, of course, does not work out – a different size! And if China, India or Brazil can afford to simply strengthen themselves in the economic or military spheres and at the same time avoid ideological attacks, since ideologically and culturally they are a product of other civilizations, geographically located far enough away and in many respects different from the Western world, then Russia, even if desired, cannot have this privilege. It’s too close, too organic part of the Northern Hemisphere, too “similar, but not the same.” More importantly, it is also “too” rooted in the same Christian roots as the West. That is why, for the West and its liberal ideology, Russia will always be “a faithful brother who remained at the hearth and of whom the father is proud.” The very existence of this worthy successor of common principles and traditions is intolerable for perverted liberalism. (Among other things, it is this feeling of unworthiness that is the cause of the notorious “pride parades.” Fallen man does not want to renounce sin, on the contrary, he seeks to exalt it and declare it the norm. Therefore, such a person is hindered by the very existence of morality and ideology. By resolutely abandoning his heritage, such a person tries to strengthen his position, “openly proud” of his sinfulness.)
As you can see, the ideological alignment is quite clear: the United States is at the head of the “liberal coalition” with European, Japanese, Australian … and other satellites. This “new ideology” has already been partially defined, but is evolving daily. Some parts of this ideology of the post-Christian man (or ideology of death), where man is the measure of all things, have already become part of the official policy of the “metropolis” – that is, the United States – and are now propagated in the “provinces” (sexual perversion, minority rights, women’s rights, destruction of the family, gender self-determination, GMOs…). Others are just emerging, but are immediately accepted “for presentation” in the “metropolis” itself (pedophilia, euthanasia (“quality of life – quality of death”), religious pluralism, as mimicry for the propaganda of Satanism and the occult, human genetic engineering, cloning …), although they have not yet become part of the official policy of the United States and are not developed in the dominions. This liberal ideology will expand around the world until it is seriously rebuffed. At the moment, there are isolated centers of resistance around the world, spontaneous and unorganized. Russia is a great world power that is also under attack. There are only two possibilities: it will either drown in the ideology of the New World Order, or it will define and defend its own (and global) ideology of Conservatism.
You need to face the truth and get to work. The problem is further complicated by the fact that the ideology of Conservatism, unlike the ideology of liberalism (and its older sister, communist ideology), cannot be universal for “all peoples for all times.” Only its basic postulates can be common, whereas for each civilization, each culture, it is necessary to determine the fundamental values that need to be protected.
Only in this way will the world in the twenty-first century be able to preserve its diversity, and we in Russian world will be able to find allies to protect our family values, our traditional way of life and upbringing of children, our God-human and Christocentric view of the world, finally.
The problem is facilitated by the fact that Russia, called upon to assume the role of leader, has a unique experience and traditions of the Russian Empire in a historical and global perspective, acquired over the centuries of joint life of the great state-forming Russian people with hundreds of other peoples – carriers of other traditions and religions. This imperial experience of the Russian people, which consists in respecting differences, without cultural and ideological oppression and unification, with legal and state-forming subordination to the Orthodox Emperor, is the basis and model for the development of the Modern Ideology of Conservatism.
Serbian Media Reality
Now that we have basically identified the target of the attack, we can see how these attacks look in practice in Serbia.
The article is not the best channel for talking about video and television programs, due to the lack of opportunity to illustrate the statements with specific examples. In addition, the author of these lines with his large family has been enjoying the absence of a TV in his house for about ten years. Therefore, let us dwell on printed publications.
In marketing plans, after defining the product itself – in our case, it is the Russian world (in Serbian conditions, expanded to traditional values with which we associate the Russian world and Russia), the definition of target groups follows. Let me remind you that we are talking about an anti-company, that is, a company of discrediting. Since the Serbian media machine is working hard to present liberal values and link this value system to the concept of “the West”, there is usually no particular need to further link traditional values and Russia. It is enough to disqualify only traditionalism and conservatism, or only Russia and the Russian world, and all these concepts will be attacked by an attack on one of them. In addition, the goal of this phase is not an immediate and concrete turn of the various target groups of Serbian society against Russia or towards the West. To begin with, it is quite enough to separate a certain social group from its traditional view of the world. Later, when a critical mass of disoriented (modern) people appears, other technologies will be used to promote certain new (pro-Western) values.
In our case, due to the limited size of the text, we will limit ourselves to a few examples illustrating the basic (but not all) principles of this propaganda.
As we have already said, on the front pages and in the “politics” sections, the media follow the official policy of the European fanatical authorities and industriously and accurately describe the prosperous cooperation with Russia.
The change of consciousness proceeds gradually, through the regular supply of the poison intended to each of them in various other headings. Probably, somewhere in some plans there is a clear scheme of this activity, but we do not know it. We can only reconstruct it by carefully reading and analyzing ordinary, small and “random” texts, news, at first glance independently appearing in various Serbian media.
To begin with, society is divided into different target groups and audiences, and then a special plan is developed for each of them, in accordance with its characteristics, interests, inclinations, needs and problems. (It is no coincidence that the word “devil” originates from the Latin diablo – dividing.)
For example, if our goal is educated youth, no one will engage in rude attacks on Russia and its people (in this case, young people may feel like the subject of propaganda and manipulation, and they do not like it). They will write, for example, about the habits of the children of Russian oligarchs who live and study in the West4. At first glance, an ordinary article about beautiful girls, expensive cars, villas, swimming pools, cocktails … but the idea fits into the subconscious that even the young Russians themselves are fleeing to the West at the first opportunity5. (An interesting example of this, with an admixture of “game of facts” is an article about a young Russian beauty queen who married a young English millionaire of Pakistani origin. The article is entitled: “A Day in the Life of Russian Oligarchs: Bathing and Champagne, Diamond Revolvers, for Lunch – a Supersonic Plane.”6 !?! Even when a Briton wife throws around British money without measure and taste, it is still presented as the behavior of “Russian oligarchs.”)
If we are talking about education – a topic that is very relevant for young people – any, even the most insignificant information about the possibilities of studying in the West (and about the happy life and successful career of those who already use them), about prices or scholarships, to the point that education in France or Germany will be declared cheaper than in Serbia (!?)7, but the major media did not mention the possibility of free education in Russia in a single word.8 9
These are, of course, just a couple of examples that only illustrate some of the ways in which media manipulation of news is done. In the long term, the cumulative effect of such articles is the creation of a stable rejection of everything Russian or even Slavic (including their own roots) among the target group “youth” and the gradual development of the habit of admiration for the Western way of life or Western values.
Another example is from the field of economics.
All major Serbian media are unanimously silent about the fact that the EU has banned the transportation of Serbian pork through its territory to Russia, so that the export of Serbian meat to Russia goes through the “thirtieth kingdom”: through the Mediterranean port of Bar, by sea around the whole of Europe to the Baltic Sea.
The rise in the export price of Serbian pork and the logical drop in exports are blamed – of course – on the Russians.10 Then a huge amount of subsidized pork from the EU appears on the Serbian market, which was previously destined for Russia and which now has nowhere to go. As a result, the price of pork in Serbia is falling, Serbian farmers are going bankrupt or reducing production, as they cannot compete with EU subsidized prices. The conclusion suggests itself – the Russians are to blame. And as a final chord, the Government of Serbia triumphantly declares that it will help the German (?!?) pork producer to organize the production of pork in Serbia for its subsequent export to Russia11! (It remains only to wait for the good EU to allow us to transport pork to Russia for the greater prosperity of the German producer).
On the other hand, as an example of a huge success, the news about a Serbian private enterprise is proposed, which, “with a little” state help of 135,000 euros, was able to produce a rolling pin and sell it to the IKEA chain of stores12!
It is little known that exactly 110 years ago, the “customs war” (better known as the “pig war”) between Serbia and Austria-Hungary began. The essence of the conflict between small Serbia and huge Austria-Hungary lay in the field of trade: the main export product of Serbia was pork, and almost all of its exports went to Austria-Hungary. Being practically the only buyer, the Empire tried to blackmail Serbia with a ban on the import of meat into its territory. Serbia had to look for new markets, one of which was Russia, so Serbia emerged victorious from this “pig war”, also increasing its foreign trade13 balance14.
Today, 110 years later, the Serbian Euro-fanatical government is instilling in us through the media the idea that the Serbs are no longer able to raise pigs and export them to distant markets, that this is available only to foreign investors. We, the Serbs, have to make rolling pins with the support of Western professional consultants! But even after making this miracle, we still will not be able to sell it, so it is better to rent them in bulk to the Swedish network so that it sells them all over the world.
At first glance, this is just a few economic news, but in essence it is an information war that is being waged against the Serbs in order to undermine their self-respect, faith in their own nation and the ability to have an independent and functional power. Along the way, Russia is portrayed as a treacherous partner who does not want to buy expensive pork (the price of which was artificially raised by the EU), and Sweden as a “serious partner” offering access to small family businesses. Such news in the long term creates a subconscious feeling of insecurity in oneself, one’s power and nation, plus a loyal belief that there is no need to interfere in big politics, but rather quietly and obediently make rolling pins for the Swedes, handing over the general leadership to the Germans, who have “order in everything”.
In the information-psychological war against Serbs and citizens of Serbia, in order to change their consciousness and adopt new anti-family values, liberal forces sometimes experience (temporary) defeats.
For years, the West has been funding various NGOs that are engaged in campaigns in the “protection of women”, but in fact they are systematically working to destroy the institution of the family and discredit family values.
In every advertising campaign, it is always useful to use an opinion leader, that is, a popular person who already uses certain products and can become an example to follow if he praises these products in the media. When it comes to products called “women’s rights”, this is not so difficult, since you can easily find actresses and politicians who will boast of their autonomy and independence … Not thinking at all about the fact that in this way they “advertise” a model of anti-family behavior, and not just their personal achievements, and that many girls can begin to imitate them – and start with the rejection of the idea of marriage.
It is much more difficult to find a well-known and beloved positive female personality who would wish (or mistakenly agreed) to bring her intra-family or marital problems to the general court, to wash “in front of all honest people” the dirty (or presented as such) linen of her family everyday life. But if such a rare case suddenly presents itself, well-trained and generously funded NGOs cling to it with a stranglehold.
Such an incident occurred in early August 2015, when the famous ballet soloist returned home drunk and quarreled with his wife, a famous actress. In addition, his aggression was expressed in the fact that he fired from the balcony into the air from firearms (after the wars of the 90s, this will not surprise anyone in Serbia, a lot of registered and unregistered weapons scattered throughout the former Yugoslavia). At first glance, this is an ordinary family quarrel followed by a violation of public order. Probably, in Russia, he would have been arrested and spent the night in a sobering-up center, after which the question of weapons and their use would have been raised. But in Serbia, “on the way to the EU” everything is different. The police immediately launched an investigation into domestic violence, and over the next few days, the media “quite accidentally” left the use of firearms in the background (which is still a real danger to life), focusing entirely on the “brutal beating of his wife and young children.”15. The first countries of the tabloids were full of headlines that the dancer would “beat his wife and children to death”, analytical articles were devoted to this, and psychologists, psychiatrists, criminologists, pediatricians and sex therapists expressed their opinion …
However, behind the scenes, there was already a problem: the actress told the police that her husband did not beat her at all16that they just quarreled and this is their own business. She also stated that she was not going to write a statement against an obviously beloved person and the father of her children17 due to the fact that he once got drunk18. She even asked the media to leave her, her husband and their entire family alone and engage in some other sensations.19
But the media machine was already on its way and the requests were unstoppable, not to mention the NGOs that happily got into the life of this family. There were comforting (?!?) comments that the actress “will probably at least get divorced.” In the epilogue, the unfortunate dancer made an agreement20 with the accusation21: he admitted a case of domestic violence (which did not exist according to the testimony of the victim of this very violence) and received a year of probation with wearing an anklet with a locator – which the media happily reported to everyone. The interest of the media was so persistent and genuine, so several young married couples consisting of popular figures of the stage (mainly pop singers) staged domestic violence in order to attract media attention and so raise their own popularity.
And here is a similar case of pedophilia promotion and child abduction in the media. In recent years, there have been a large number of headlines and “news” related to the abduction of children for the purpose of sexual exploitation or abuse. Interestingly, this problem, which is not widespread in Serbia, has been raised to the level of almost a national strategy to combat child abduction. Nothing has changed since the first or the second media intervention on this subject, but after several years of incessant presentation of this problem in the media, the goal of the campaign becomes quite clear: to create as many difficulties as possible for parenthood (parents even theoretically cannot have many children under constant surveillance) and gradually prepare the public for the inclusion of social services in the life of the family and to facilitate the removal of children from the family.
In the summer of 2015, a boy who was herding sheep by the river disappeared in one village. The search has begun. The younger brother told police that he saw a black car and three men in it. The entire district was blocked, patrols searched the roads and inspected every car. The case was reported to the border guards, who also took appropriate measures. For the next two days, newspapers vied with each other to write about this case, comparing it with similar ones (somehow “accidentally” it turned out that in the last two years a great many children and adolescents had disappeared. Everyone was declared kidnapped, including a young gypsy woman who ran away to her beloved in a neighboring village, a teenager who got drunk and fell asleep at home with a friend and two friends who decided to drink and smoke a little away from parental eyes in an empty house on the edge of the village in the company of two friends. Interestingly, that in all these cases, children were immediately searched for in “dubious cars”, and the media immediately raised the topic of abduction and sexual exploitation). After two days of unsuccessful searches and blockade of the whole region, the boy’s body was found by a neighbor 400 meters from the house: the boy fell into the river and drowned. All the time the media savored the topic of abducted children, his body was here.
The police representative found himself in an extremely unpleasant situation: it was obvious that the police rushed to look for “dubious cars” and block the roads, instead of simply inspecting the surroundings. The younger brother admitted that he was very frightened when the elder fell into the river and while he was running home he came up with “a car and three uncles.”
It would seem everything? But such an end is not needed by the media, instead of “violence against a child” who received a “simple” accident. So in the end, a “logical” and, of course, anti-family explanation was found: the younger brother is afraid of his father too strictly and therefore invented everything. And in general: since an accident happened to a child, wouldn’t it be better to take away the rest of the children from such careless parents (a large family)?
The epilogue turned out to be very sad: parents who have lost a child, their other children and fellow villagers hope that other children will not be taken away from the family. Fellow villagers are preparing to protect this family from social services, reminding that an accident can happen to anyone.22
The consequence of such media campaigns is exactly what was expected: imitation on the part of ordinary citizens.
Citizens are beginning to fear both their home and social services. Young couples, when they get married, plan in advance how they will keep their unborn children under constant control and how they will fight off a new member of their family in the person of the New Social Order in case something happens to their child.
This media campaign and the activities of NGOs generously funded by the West have already led to a change in the rules for the police’s response to cases of domestic violence. Now it is not only the police who react: according to EU rules, a group of specialists is immediately formed, including a police patrol equipped with everything necessary to apprehend dangerous criminals, a social worker and a representative of the prosecutor’s office, who are all together ready to fight for family peace and the well-being of everyone at any time.
Covered up and did not get into the media a recent case when a six-year-old child, having played, called the police and complained that “his mother offends him.” A few minutes later, the aforementioned team of specialists drew themselves on the doorstep of the apartment. The confused woman barely managed to find the baby under the bed, where he hid, realizing that “uncles from the police really came.” The case did not deserve media attention just because the child immediately admitted that he was naughty. One can only guess what would have happened if the mother had cooked semolina for dinner and the baby continued the hoax so as not to eat what he does not like. If the child had confirmed the possibility of violence with at least one word, the verification procedure would have lasted all night, and various conversations and consultations with doctors, psychologists and social workers would have been an integral part of the life of this family for a long time.
Russophobes become Russophiles (“if you can’t defeat them, join them”)
As already mentioned, on the political scene of Serbia, with one exception, there are practically no parties that would be against cooperation with Russia.
What should Russophobes do in this case?
As always, take advantage of valuable experience from abroad. The “Swedish way of dealing with pornography” is a concept that appeared when Swedish society was faced with the problem of a rapid increase in the volume of illegal pornography. In consultations with “specialists” (as usual: psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers…), someone proposed, and the state adopted, the idea that pornography is growing because of its prohibition. Say, if it were legal, the interest passed by itself. And so the state, instead of fighting the problem, simply legalized its source – and now the market is overflowing with pornography.
This Swedish experience is now being used in Serbia to combat Russophilia!
Since it is clear that it is impossible to form a large and strong political party in Serbia that would be against Russia and put this point of view into circulation in the Serbian “political market” – the formation of dozens and even hundreds of different pro-Russian parties, movements, societies and organizations began to flow! Some invisible hand always appears out of the fog and supports even absolutely meaningless public and political organizations advocating cooperation with Russia! No one (except, probably, some planners in Western embassies and their contractors in the Serbian secret services) was engaged in the recalculation of these organizations. Suffice it to say that Serbia today has the Russian Party, which hoped to enter the Parliament for a short act intended for national minorities (although there is no Russian national minority in Serbia!), most of whose members do not even know Russian; I would like to add that several parties were represented in the last elections, the basis of the political program of which was the “turn to Russia”, and none of these entities had any clear plan of action in this field, but resolutely opposed all other “pro-Russian colleagues” who challenged each other for this political niche. “Kucha mala” also includes about a hundred societies of Serbian-Russian friendship and Serbian-Russian economic cooperation (at least half of which have no specific activities, except for serving local self-styled Russophiles for media and political promotion)!
The crown product of this “pro-Russian political industry” is probably a unique case: there are as many as two Cossack troops in Serbia! (The author of these lines was recently invited to a “Cossack” event, the participants of which with full seriousness addressed each other as “brother-ataman” and discussed possible options for this appeal to female persons!)
Each of these ardent Russophiles very quickly (accidentally?) after the start of his activity meets a Russian politician at some conference and is immediately photographed with him23. This is enough for the photo to be put on social networks and the promotion of the newly-minted Russophile, who has never been to Russia, does not speak Russian, knows nothing about Russians or Russia, went. Often, in the premises of such organizations or on their pages and profiles of their leaders in social networks, entire galleries of portraits of the Russian political elite can be placed in the arms of our Russophile.
Of course, soon the “wars of Russophiles” begin, mutual accusations, the dirty laundry of the “false Russophile” is pulled out into the light of white … The intensity of the struggle is growing, from attacks on a political colleague to attacks on his “Russian patrons” (i.e., Russian politicians who happened to be close at some event and good-naturedly agreed to be photographed with the “Serb brothers”, after which they were immediately declared “my Russian political patrons”). All this unsightly nonsense is slowly but surely beginning to disgust Serbian voters. Sooner or later, an ordinary person inevitably comes to the conclusion “does Russia really support THIS” or at least “should I really vote for THIS if I am for Russia”?
The Russian political elite of the caring Mother Russia is what her name suggests: a mother who has too many worries. And all these worries are far from here. Therefore, every copy of the naughty “Serbian Russophile political children” who runs up to his mother with tears or a smile, without any questions, receives his share of hugs, kisses and photographs. And no one wonders about the sincerity of this Russophilia. A party participates in the upcoming elections, declaring itself as “pro-Russian” in the program and media – participates in a pro-European coalition! In practice, pro-Russian voters are openly urged to vote for joining the EU, which sooner or later will lead to “harmonization of policy with EU policy”, i.e. to the imposition of sanctions against Russia! In the general pro-Russian chaos, this becomes a legitimate political option!
A special case of the use of the “opinion leader” technique is the well-known journalist and military commentator Miroslav Lazansky. Some time ago, he suddenly began to actively speak with pro-Russian texts, at the invitation of the Russian army he flew to Syria, from where he sent excellent reports, articles and comments. In just six months or a year, he became famous as a “prominent Russophile” and the bearer of a certain part of the “pro-Russian hopes”. At a certain point (spontaneously?) the campaign for the appointment of Lazansky to the post of Minister of Defense expanded on social networks (it is clear that this was a test to find out the possible weight of this well-known, and at the same time pro-Russian journalist when used on the political scene). Probably, the campaign on social networks (in which the media also joined, developing a “spontaneous public initiative”) showed the usefulness of Lazansky and recently the consistently pro-European political option of the Serbian Advance Party (in power) was strengthened: the Prime Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, personally invited Lazansky to the number of candidates for Parliament from this party! Of course, already this week, yesterday’s Russophile joined the election campaign, increasing the diversity and diversity of the political headset on power and providing the pro-Russian part of the big and bitter pro-European dish.
What is the purpose of creating such political “contradictio in adjecto”?
There are two goals:
- Make the pro-European option more acceptable to the pro-Russian part of the voters.
- Facilitate the designation of small and equally petty pro-Russian and “pro-Russian” parties as far-right extremists and political adventurers. (Because the pro-European center already has a right-wing pro-Russian wing.)
…..
After these practical examples of Russophobic technologies in the media and the incessant activity to change the consciousness of the average Serb, it remains to recognize that Russophobia in the information war taking place in Serbia undoubtedly exists, despite the fact that at first glance this is not the case. It is very professionally planned and adapted to certain topics for certain social groups. It has been going on for a long time and is gradually changing in accordance with the change in Serbian society: what was considered normal a few years ago has now become extreme right, and what until recently was considered high treason today is an unpleasant but necessary step towards a modern pro-European Serbia …
The only question that remains unanswered is: WHERE, IN FACT, ARE THE RUSSIANS LOOKING?
1 Resolution of the Cominform of 1948, which marked the break between Tito and Stalin and the expulsion of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia from this organization. It led to a significant deterioration in relations between the SFRY and the USSR.
2 http://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2016&mm=03&dd=18&nav_category=78&nav_id=1109407
3 http://www.b92.net/biz/vesti/svet.php?yyyy=2016&mm=03&dd=19&nav_id=1109659
4 http://www.blic.rs/vesti/svet/decu-ruskih-tajkuna-cekaju-milijarde/qdmdemw
5 http://www.blic.rs/slobodno-vreme/kupio-im-tata-deca-ruskih-oligarha-se-razbacuju-bogatstvom-na-instagramu/jxvqqr5
6 http://www.blic.rs/slobodno-vreme/zanimljivosti/dan-u-zivotu-ruskih-tajkuna-kupanje-u-sampanjcu-dijamantski-revolveri-na-rucak/y…
7 http://www.blic.rs/vesti/drustvo/paprene-skolarine-u-srbiji-1000-evra-u-nemackoj-besplatno/kd2y45l
8 http://ruskarec.ru/arts/2016/03/06/pet-koraka-za-besplatan-upis-na-ruski-univerzitet_573581
9 http://ruskarec.ru/news/2016/03/04/rusija-poziva-15-hiljada-stranih-drzavljana-na-besplatno-studiranje_573159
10 http://www.blic.rs/vesti/ekonomija/ceh-zbog-sankcija-rusiji-srpski-izvoznici-izgubili-milione-evra-zbog-pada-rublje/xhkfg4g
11 http://www.rtv.rs/sr_lat/ekonomija/aktuelno/popovic-tenis-dolazi-u-srbiju-zbog-pristupa-ruskom-trzistu_593831.html
12 http://www.b92.net/biz/vesti/srbija.php?yyyy=2015&mm=08&dd=25&nav_id=1030928
13 http://forum.arheo-amateri.rs/pogled-na-istoriju-srbije/carinski-ili-svinjski-rat/
14 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_War_(1906%E2%80%9308)
15 http://www.kurir.rs/crna-hronika/glumica-mina-lazarevic-u-policiji-muz-ce-ubiti-decu-i-mene-clanak-1899177
16 http://www.hellomagazin.rs/domace-vesti/mina-lazarevic-negira-da-je-bila-izlozena-fizickom-maltretiranju/
17 http://www.telegraf.rs/jetset/1689386-kalasnjikov-baletan-ovo-je-covek-koji-je-pretukao-glumicu-minu-lazarevic-i-pucao-iz-automa…
18 http://www.blic.rs/vesti/hronika/preokret-mina-branila-muza-u-tuzilastvu-zastitimozene/wwk2snh
19 http://www.novosti.rs/vesti/naslovna/hronika/aktuelno.291.html:561271-Mina-Lazarevic-Goran-me-nije-pretukao
20 http://www.hellomagazin.rs/domace-vesti/suprug-mine-lazarevic-priznao-porodicno-nasilje/
21 http://www.hellomagazin.rs/domace-vesti/u-kucnom-pritvoru-suprug-mine-lazarevic-dobija-nanogiocu/
22 http://www.blic.rs/vesti/hronika/stefan-upao-u-reku-jureci-da-spase-jagnje/e1yp98g
23 https://www.facebook.com/vladanglisic.srb/photos/a.610212165729816.1073741827.589204994497200/980326008718428/?type=3&theater