The concept of the “colour revolution” has shifted from describing democratic uprisings in post-socialist states to serving as a powerful tool of authoritarian control. In Serbia, the ruling elite—drawing heavily on the Russian strategic playbook—has reframed the term as a symbol of foreign subversion aimed at overthrowing the government and destabilising the country. Since 2012, this narrative has been systematically used to delegitimise dissent, protests, and civic mobilisation.

The subject of analysis is the content related to student and civic protests distributed on the Telegram channel “BUNT je stanje duha.”

This case study analyses the role of the Telegram channel “BUNT je stanje duha” (“REBELLION is a State of Mind”) in the discursive reshaping of student protests in Serbia.