For a couple of days last month, uninformed tourists visiting Serbia could easily have believed that the country is a Russian outpost.
With large photos of Vladimir Putin on their covers, Serbian tabloids–by far the biggest source of print information in the country–were engaged in a discussion over whether the Russian President would defend Serbia and its contested part of Kosovo, or trade it for recognition of Crimea. Added to that were front-page headlines evoking Cold War rhetoric, including the government-controlled Informer’s September 20 edition, “Putin: I Can Destroy the States in Half an Hour.”
Historical, cultural, and political ties between the two countries, the steady influence of the Christian-Orthodox Church, and a negative image of the West over the NATO bombing in 1999, have provided a welcome ground for the worldview coming out of Moscow. Due to a financially weak press almost completely influenced by the government, and the influx of content sponsored by Russia – often available to be republished for free – Serbia is increasingly perceived as a battleground between East and West.
http://www.b92.net/eng/insight/opinions.php?yyyy=2016&mm=10&dd=24&nav_id=99494
