Montenegro Serbs Rally for Russians in Ukraine

Several dozen ethnic Serbs and representatives of pro-Serbian parties in Montenegro protested on Sunday in front of the Ukrainian embassy in Podgorica, saying that they wanted to show solidarity with their “Russian brothers in Novorossiya” – the separatists’ name for parts of eastern Ukraine that they are trying to seize from Kiev.

"The Montenegrin government's decision to impose sanctions on Russia is the most tragic foreign policy mistake by the regime in Podgorica since the time when the same political structure, in the same way as the West, recognized the false state of Kosovo," said protest organizer Dobrilo Dedeic.

The Podgorica authorities have said that they said they had no choice but to join US and EU sanctions on the Kremlin over Ukraine, because harmony with EU positions is a national priority.

Montenegro, once a close ally of Russia, is now among the countries facing Russian counter-measures.

Dedeic said that similar rallies will be organized in other Montenegrin towns in order to "improve the conditions for international recognition of Novorossiya". 

Two weeks ago, the pro-Russian separatist ‘People’s Republic of Donetsk’, which claims to be part of ‘Novorossiya’, opened an "official representative office" in the Serbian capital Belgrade.

"In the upcoming period Novorossiya will also get its official representation in Montenegro," Dedeic said.