Serbian Pro-Regime Media Praise Russia ‘Overrunning’ Ukraine

Newspapers that support the Serbian government hailed the Russian invasion of Ukraine on their front pages on Friday, 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his military assault.

Informer and Alo led with front-page headlines claiming that Russia "reached Kyiv in a day", while Objektiv's headline said "Russians overrun Ukraine in a day".

Vecernje Novosti's main headline was "Russian coup in response to NATO threats".

Sprski Telegraf printed headline that "Putin is preparing 'Satan' [Russian R-36 intercontinental ballistic missile] for Europe" together with a photo of the Russian president in military uniform.

Politika led with "State of war in Ukraine", saying that "Putin approved an operation 'of demilitarisation and denazification'" and quoting only Russian sources about the ongoing war. Russian officials have often accused the Ukrainian government of Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, of being fascist.

Meanwhile Danas and Nova, which are seen as critical of the government, mostly reported on Serbian officials' silence about the Russian attack on Ukraine.

President Alexander Vucic, an ally of Putin who is also seeking EU membership for Serbia, has yet to announce his official view of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (centre) with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (right) and late Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej (left) in Belgrade, January 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE/ANDREJ CUKIC.

Mainstream Serbian media, which are usually pro-Putin, continued to support him after he recognised the independence of two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk, on February 21.