Year after year, Vladimir Putin is the most popular in Serbia

Serbia is the only European country where Putin received positive support, in all other countries, he received negative ratings

A flag bearing the letter “Z”, the symbol of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was seen in Belgrade on the anniversary of the war.

Right-wing groups shouted “Death to Ukraine” and “Glory to Russia”, facing off against Russian anti-war activists who responded with “No to war” and “Russia without Putin”.

That is how the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was marked in Serbia, a country where Russian President Vladimir Putin enjoys his highest level of popularity.

Research on global support for world leaders shows that Putin has his strongest backing in Serbia, a country where thousands of Russians have found a home since the start of the war.

According to a Gallup International survey published in February, 37% of citizens in Serbia support Putin.

Serbia is the only European country included in the Gallup survey where Putin received positive support. In all other countries, he received negative ratings.

Even the four-year Russian invasion of Ukraine, which according to United Nations estimates has claimed the lives of 15,000 civilians, has not changed attitudes toward Putin in Serbia.

Thousands of people cheered for Putin in front of the Church of Saint Sava during his last visit to Belgrade in January 2019.

“Thank you for the friendship”. “Spasibo for the companionship”, Putin told the crowd, which had gathered in support of the Russian president at the invitation of the Serbian Progressive Party, the party of President Aleksandar Vučić.

According to police estimates, there were more than 100,000 people, and seven years later Putin does not appear to have been forgotten.

His image can be seen on murals on building walls and on souvenirs in central Belgrade welcoming tourists.

Referring to traditional friendship with Russia, official Belgrade persists in its decision not to impose sanctions on Moscow, despite warnings from Brussels and Washington DC.

Serbia, which depends on gas imports from Russia, is among the few European countries that have not joined European Union sanctions, even though it is a candidate for EU membership.

Serbian authorities also rely on Moscow’s support in international organizations in opposing Kosovo’s independence, while under EU auspices they conduct negotiations with Pristina on normalizing relations.

Serbian officials say they will not give up friendship with Russia. Despite supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity and providing humanitarian aid, Belgrade has not severed ties with the Kremlin.

Pro-government tabloids praise the successes of the Russian army on the front, while the Ukrainian side is portrayed as hostile.

A survey by the EU Delegation in Serbia from late last year and early this year showed that only 8 percent of citizens see Russia as responsible for the war in Ukraine.

More often, they identify NATO, the United States, and Ukraine as the culprits.

Sputnik and RT operate in Serbia, while President Aleksandar Vučić emphasizes that Serbia is the only country in Europe where Russian media operate without obstruction.

In March 2022, the European Union suspended the broadcasting of Sputnik and RT until the end of the aggression against Ukraine and until Russia and media close to it stop spreading disinformation and manipulating information.

Belgrade’s doors remain open to Russian officials, most of whom are under European and American sanctions.

President Vučić, who previously highlighted the number of his meetings with Putin, has reduced them since February 2022.

However, he did not decline Putin’s invitation to attend the military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2025, marking Victory Day over Nazism in World War II.

Vučić met with Putin in the Kremlin and afterward said that Serbia and Russia should increase and strengthen cooperation in all areas.

Several months earlier, then–Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin was even more explicit during a meeting with Putin in Vladivostok.

In September 2024, Vulin assured Putin that Serbia is not only a strategic partner but also an ally of Russia, stating that because of this the pressure on Serbia is enormous.

Asked about references to traditional relations between the two countries, historian Milan St. Protić said there is no traditional sentiment toward Russia, but that promoting such a projection suited the authorities.

It was that way under Milošević, and it is that way today. In the Russian regime, embodied by Putin, they see their most reliable protector, patron, and guardian, he said.

While chants of Serbs and Russians brothers forever can still be heard on the streets of Belgrade, Russia and Putin are viewed very differently in the rest of Europe.

According to Gallup, Putin received his lowest support in Ukraine at minus 98%, followed by Scandinavian countries: Denmark at minus 94%, Sweden at minus 94%, and Norway at minus 90%. He was also rated very negatively in Poland at minus 83% and Estonia at minus 88%.