PUBLICATION: Analysis
Surviving the War: Russia-Western Balkan Ties After the War in Ukraine
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 pushed Europe into a new era of instability. The fundamentals of the continent’s political and economic order are shifting as Russia’s brutal methods of war undermine the prospects of the slightest cooperation between Moscow and European states.
Decades-old trade links have been severed, transport corridors rerouted, and people-to-people contacts have become more scarce than ever. Europe is reshaping its security architecture around Russia as the main threat, while Moscow frames its aggression against Ukraine as an existential defensive war with a duplicitous West.
The only European region that stands out in this process of growing mutual alienation is the Western Balkans. More than a year into the war, Russia’s relations with several Balkan states appear to have undergone little change. Serbia is eagerly continuing with energy deals with Gazprom, Bosnian Serb leaders frequent Moscow on official visits, and some leading Montenegrin parties are sticking to pro-Russian slogans. It would appear that time stands still in the Western Balkans, with petty local grievances overriding major global developments
This publication was produced with the support of the Open Society Foundations (OSF). Responsibility for the content of this publication belongs solely to Belgrade Centre for Security Policy.
Skip to PDF content
Tags:
DETAILS
AUTHORS
SHARE
PDF PREVIEW
RELATED
Date: 24.12.2025.
Author: Predrag Petrović |
In the past decade, European countries have witnessed a rise in anti-establishment extremism (AEE), which challenges the modern democratic order and offers authoritarian modes of governance as a “solution” to consecutive, overlapping crises.
Date: 08.12.2025.
Author: Isidora Stakić |
Anti-systemic extremism (ASE) in Serbia has expanded amid prolonged political crises, institutional distrust, and disillusionment with the European integration. Like elsewhere in Europe, ASE thrives in periods of societal instability that expose weaknesses in democratic governance. In Serbia, authoritarian tendencies, media control, and pervasive conspiracy narratives have further fueled skepticism toward institutions and “global elites.”
Date: 22.10.2025.
Author: Jelena Pejić Nikić |
This policy paper examines Western Balkan stakeholders' perspectives on what is needed for meaningful enlargement and the EU reforms they consider essential for an effective expanded Union. Field research in spring and summer 2024 included 16 high-level interviews with representatives from all six countries of the region.
