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.

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