Ever since the first massive student protest at Slavija Square in Belgrade, held on Dec. 22, 2024, there has been a collaborative effort by official Russia and Serbia to delegitimize student protests. Various groups have been on alert to physically attack citizens daring to display symbols of liberal democracy, particularly flags of the European Union. At the same time, they publicly display ‘No Surrender of Kosovo’ (Nema predaje), Russian flags, and other symbols supporting Putin’s Russian aggression against Ukraine.
One of these infamous groups is composed of individuals related to a well-known pro-Putin, Serbian national-revisionist YouTube and internet portal HelmCast: https://helmcast.rs/ – HelmCast.rs – против шарлатанизације медијског простора. In this particular example we have covered the following disinformation promoters:
They took joy in the fact that protesters at a student rally held in Niš on March 1, 2025 turned against a woman carrying an EU flag and her small children. They also discussed carrying large Russian flags at protests, even though this has nothing to do with citizens’ demands. Unfortunately, we have not heard a single public objection from the student organizers regarding the promotion of anti-Western, pro-Putin propaganda supporting Russia’s aggression against Ukraine:
Promotion of Russia at student protests:
Praising threats against those carrying EU flags:
NIFA has detailed analyses and relevant biographies on all of the above propagandists, including their connections to the executive branch of the Serbian government, as well as to Putin’s Russian propagandists residing not only in the Russian Federation but also in European Union member countries.