December 6, 2025

Balkans Watch

Serbia faces oil refinery shutdown as US sanctions deadline looms– www.euronews.com

pgnewser November 25, 2025

Blurb:

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has warned the Western Balkan country faces a major crisis as its largest oil refinery prepares to shut down unless US sanctions authorities approve an operating license by Thursday.

The Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS) refinery is currently operating in “warm circulation” — a reduced-capacity mode — and has four days until complete shutdown unless approval comes from the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, Vučić said in an address to the nation.

“It will take 14 days to restart, but in reality it will be more than that. Count on 20 days or more,” he said. “That means the refinery would not be operating until the New Year and even after that.”

Serbian antigovernment protests escalate in third night of clashes ...

Thousands march in Serbia in persistent resistance to autocratic leader Vucic– abcnews.go.com

pgnewser October 3, 2025

Serbian antigovernment protests escalate in third night of clashes ...

Thousands march in Serbia in persistent resistance to autocratic leader Vucic– abcnews.go.com
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Excerpt:

BELGRADE, Serbia — Thousands joined protest marches in several Serbian towns on Wednesday reflecting persistent resistance to autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic’s rule despite a government crackdown.

Crowds gathered to mark 11 months since a concrete canopy collapsed in a northern Serbian city that killed 16 people and triggered a major anti-government movement.

Protesters believe that the crash at the renovated train station in Novi Sad resulted from graft-fueled negligence in construction projects. The building’s renovation was part of a wider railway overhaul with Chinese companies.

Serbian antigovernment protests escalate in third night of clashes ...

Serbian Anti-Government Protests Grow

pgnewser September 10, 2025

Serbian antigovernment protests escalate in third night of clashes ...

Thousands rally in Serbia and accuse police of brutality at anti-government demonstrations – The Seattle Times
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Excerpt:

Thousands of student-led protesters chanted slogans against Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic at a rally in downtown Belgrade on Monday, accusing police of brutality during recent anti-government demonstrations that have shaken his populist rule.

The protesters demanded that police officers responsible for excessive use of force during months of unrest be punished, including for alleged rape threats against a female student.

The protests started in November when a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Serbia’s north, killing 16 people. The disaster ignited an anti-corruption movement led by university students alleging graft-fueled negligence as its cause.

Student Nikolina Sindjelic, who was detained last month during the protests, said she was beaten and sexually harassed during her detention. Sindjelic told the rally that the “entire state system has been directed against its own citizens.”

“They (government) beat us because they are afraid of us,” Sindjelic said in a speech outside the headquarters of a special police unit, whose commander she accused of rape threats. “They have hit us and they will hit us because they know it is all over (for them).”

Serbia’s police intervene as ruling party supporters face off against anti-government protesters – Yahoo News Canada–

pgnewser August 14, 2025

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Months of protests in Serbia reached a new intensity Wednesday night as riot police intervened to separate rival demonstrations of anti-government protesters and supporters of President Aleksandar Vucic. The president once again accused unnamed foreign powers of orchestrating the protests, which first began after the deadly collapse of a subway station sparked accusations of widespread government corruption.

Supporters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) threw flares and firecrackers at anti-government protesters in Novi Sad on Wednesday evening, prompting police to intervene to end the standoff, a major escalation of nine-month-long protests in Serbia.

The student-led protests in Serbia first started in November after a train station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad, killing 16 people and triggering accusations of corruption in state infrastructure projects.

Protests have since drawn hundreds of thousands of people, shaking President Aleksandar Vucic’s firm grip on power. His supporters have recently started organising counter-demonstrations, fuelling fears of possible violence.

Protesters block main state Serbian TV building as tensions soar ahead of a planned large rally – ABC News–

pgnewser March 11, 2025

Protesters block main state Serbian TV building as tensions soar ahead of a planned large rally – ABC News
Source Link
Excerpt:

 Several hundred student protesters have blocked Serbia’s public television station building in Belgrade as tensions are soaring in the Balkan country days ahead of a planned large rally over the weekend billed as an endgame in months of anti-government demonstrations.

The students first blocked the TV building in central Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, late on Monday and several hundred gathered again early on Tuesday, after announcing that their blockade will last for at least 22 hours.

University students in Serbia are behind almost daily rallies that started after a concrete canopy crashed down in November at a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad, killing 15 people. The protests have rocked populist rule of President Aleksandar Vucic and his firm grip on power.