Serbian Helsinki Committee chief Sonja Biserko called the government to take a side over the war in Ukraine “like Yugoslavia did in 1948”.

The Yugoslav authorities, under the late President Josip Broz Tito, decided to split with the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin in 1948, causing a crisis in relations with the eastern block countries.

Biserko told the FoNet news agency that she thinks Serbia will impose mainly symbolic sanctions on Russia, perhaps even in agreement with Moscow, because the Kremlin needs that channel of communication with the West.

According to her, most Serbian historians, politicians, intellectuals and the senior clergy are pro-Russian. “The European Union and foreigners are not aware of that … they think that the authorities learned the language of democracy and human rights but it’s all a simulation,” she said and added that the resistance to Western values is very strong.

She said that Serbia is viewed as the focal point of the region and a cause of both instability and stability if it could resolve its problems with its neighbours.