In a powerful interview for Mreza, veteran Serbian politician and writer Vuk Draskovic declared that the current regime in Serbia must be brought down completely, saying the first step afterward should be to “open the book of death” and uncover all the crimes committed.
Draskovic discussed what he calls the “Hitler of our time,” the failure of Europe, the collapse of Yugoslavia, the dangers of Milorad Dodik’s secessionist agenda, and the truth about Srebrenica. He emphasized that while most people in Republika Srpska are against the return of evil, the Balkans remain, in his words, “highly talented for misfortune.”
“The student protests — a tsunami of a generation that doesn’t remember the crimes against Yugoslavia — have jolted Serbia out of its unconscious state,” said Draskovic. He added that the best description of Serbia’s condition came from a student who described it simply as “unbearable.”
Seven months after the protests, Serbia remains divided. “Two-thirds of Serbia want a different country — one without this regime, without lies, crime, theft, and the influence of former state security services,” Draskovic stated. He emphasized that while students are the conscience of Serbia, their numbers are too small to bring down the regime alone.
He insists that a broad civil awakening is needed: “When the regime falls, the first step must be to open the book of crimes — the death, the theft, the secret files of UDBA and BIA, which is basically just a branch of Russia’s KGB.” According to Draskovic, if the Serbian people were exposed to the full truth, especially about atrocities from the 1990s, “everything would change overnight.”
He recalled a rare broadcast years ago showing footage of Muslim boys, none older than 15, being executed while an Orthodox monk gave blessings. “That one video shocked the nation. And yet, the secret services made sure it was never shown again — though there are hundreds more like it. If the people saw what was done in their name, attitudes toward Europe and the West would shift instantly,” he said.
Draskovic compared Putin to Hitler, claiming both used identical language about “correcting historical mistakes.” Just as Hitler claimed Austria was a mistake he would fix, Putin said the same about Ukraine. “They both speak of unity — Hitler of the German world, Putin of the Russian world. It’s a clear copy.”
He warned that Serbia’s leadership is now promoting a “Serbian World” — a replica of Putin’s ideology — though they were the same people who once shattered that very unity. “The Serbian World already existed — from the Alps to Thessaloniki — in Yugoslavia. It was a beautiful country, a Balkan America. Those who destroyed it now want to rebuild a ‘Serbian World’ on its ruins, in the image of Putin’s Russia.”
Draskovic condemned recent comments made during a meeting between the Serbian Patriarch and Russian President Putin, where both celebrated the Russian world and expressed a desire for Serbia to join it. “That was the greatest national humiliation.”
When asked whether Vucic has exported Serbia’s crisis into Bosnia and Herzegovina, Draskovic said: “His policies are often contradictory. He claims to support Bosnia’s territorial integrity, while simultaneously backing Dodik’s agenda, which undermines it.”
He argued that both Vucic and Dodik are following a script written in Moscow. “No one in Europe or Washington wants the Balkans to reignite. But a Balkan conflict would serve the interests of the Kremlin regime, which wants to distract from Ukraine.”
Speaking about Milorad Dodik, Draskovic noted the dramatic shift in his stance over the years. “I remember Dodik from the late ‘90s passionately advocating for Bosnia’s rapid NATO accession. Now, he’s pushing for the destruction of the very state he once defended. Maybe someone else came back from Moscow in his place,” he joked.
Draskovic also commented on the UN resolution recognizing the genocide in Srebrenica. “It’s important, but sadly, it won’t serve as a true warning. We live in a world where even the verdicts of the Nuremberg trials have lost meaning.”
He stressed that the perpetrators of genocide have names and faces. “Serbia is not their name. The Serbian people are not their name. But these criminals try to hide behind the nation — and they can do so because they still hold power in both Serbia and Bosnia. They may not have directly committed the crimes, but they are responsible for the atmosphere that led to them,” he concluded.
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