29.09.2024.

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Roundtable discussion “Russian, Ukrainian and Belarussian Expats in Serbia: Their Security and Societal Challenges”

On 27 September at the Envoy Conference, the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) hosted a roundtable to discuss the challenges faced by Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian expats living in Serbia.

The event gathered a members of diplomatic core, partner organisations and civil society representatives, while the discussion focused on issues like integration hurdles, pressures on anti-war activists, legal threats to journalists, and the misuse of Serbia’s national security apparatus.
The panellists highlighted that the major challenge going forward will be the growing illiberalism of the incumbent Serbian government, which is increasingly willing to pressure Russian and Belarussian activists due to its transactional dealings with regimes in Moscow and Minsk. The Ukrainian community, especially those without Serbian papers, expects a period of uncertainty about how they can manage their status in Serbia, given the restrictions imposed by the new Ukrainian law on mobilisation.
Participants of the discussion included Olga Antonova, Andrei Kazakevich, Polina Greisman, Predrag Petrović, and Andrijana Miljković, while the roundtable discussion was moderated by Srđan Cvijić, President of the BCSP International Advisory Committee.

Tags: anti-war activists, mobilisation, Roundtable discussion, Russian Ukrainian and Belarussian Expats in Serbia, security

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