Serbia, Russia and the war in Ukraine | DW Documentary - Summary

Summary

A possible concise summary is:

The text is a transcript of a video report about the pro-Russian sentiments in Serbia and how they affect the country's relations with the EU and NATO. The report features interviews with different people who have different views on Russia, Ukraine, and the West, such as a Serbian journalist who faced insults for writing about a Ukrainian refugee, a Serbian soccer fan who puts Russia before Serbia, and a Russian couple who escaped from Moscow to Belgrade. The report also shows how Serbia's president tries to balance between buying Russian weapons and cooperating with NATO, and how the history of NATO bombing in 1999 still shapes the public opinion in Serbia.

Facts

Here are the key facts extracted from the text:

- Several thousand people gathered in Belgrade in April to sing the Russian national anthem and show their support for Russia and Putin.
- A couple from Moscow fled to Belgrade because of the economic collapse and sanctions in Russia.
- Alexa Gerbovich was four years old when NATO bombed Belgrade in 1999 and he lost his trust in Western media.
- The journalists association of Serbia does not want to ban RT, the Russian state broadcaster, as they see it as a human right to have free media.
- Serbia has been an official candidate for EU membership since 2012, but it also has close ties with Russia and has acquired Russian military equipment.
- Andre Ivanov fled from Ukraine to Serbia and faced insults from pro-Russian Serbs who accused him of being a Nazi.
- Serbia is a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program, but the majority of Serbs are pro-Russian and skeptical of the West.