Montenegro, Russia, and NATO

The first instance of official Russian – Montenegrin diplomatic contact was made in 1711, when Russian Tsar Peter the Great sent his envoys to Vladika (Bishop) Danilo, ruler of Montenegro. Vladika Danilo is the man who was responsible for the establishment of a pro-Russian cult in Montenegro, which still exists to this day. During this time, Russia was the protector of Montenegro, and played a key role in helping Montenegro remove the Ottoman Empire. In addition, Russia was the protector of Montenegro, and helped her in times of trouble. The people of Montenegro remember that and are eternally grateful to Russia. As a result, there is the term ‘Mother Russia’ in Montenegro.

But one man’s personal interests decided to change all that. That man is Milo Djukanovic, the current Prime Minister of Montenegro. The Djukanovic clan decided to sell Montenegro to the West due to private interests. All of this was done under the narrative that Montenegro wanted to change its “civilizational circle”. The 24th March marked 17 years since the beginning of NATO’s aggression against Serbia and Montenegro. The NATO intervention took place without the approval of the UN Security Council. The attacks that lasted without interruption for 78 days severely damaged infrastructure, commercial buildings, schools, health facilities, media houses, cultural monuments, churches, and monasteries. The cost of the damage is estimated between 30 and 100 billion dollars. The final number of victims has not been officially declared, but Serbian estimates range between 1,200 and 2,500 dead and about 5,000 injured.

The Government of Montenegro don’t commemorate this, moreover, the Djukanovic regime prohibits marking the beginning of the aggression. High school graduates from the city of Danilovgrad, which is near the capital Podgorica, best experienced these decisions. High school graduates in Danilovgrad, in memory of the victims of the NATO aggression in 1999, used a PA system to broadcast the sound of air raid sirens. In addition, they threw paper airplanes in the lobby of the gymnasium, and afterwards they played a song by Serbian singer Bora Djordjevic  (NATO - I won't forgive you about the children), after which all of those who were present applauded. Immediately afterwards, the Education Ministry of Montenegro threatened the students with disciplinary measures, stating that this behavior would not be tolerated. At the same time, Euro – Atlantic integrations are aggressively promoted in Montenegrin schools. That is a democracy of Milo Djukanovic regime, which has the strong support of the United States and the silent support of the European Union.

General Ben Hodges, commander of US Army ground forces, came to visit Montenegro just before the marking of the aggression. The General said “I am here today for many reasons; to support the efforts of your country and the armed forces on their Euro – Atlantic integration”. Regarding General Hodges, it’s said that he made his own Army from Ukrainians, as the US Army “reformed” the Ukrainian Army. The same thing happened with the Montenegrin Army, which was also “reformed” under US tutelage.

The people of Montenegro marked 17 years of NATO aggression on the main square in Podgorica; New Serbian Democracy organized a gathering called “We do not forget”. The people showed that, despite pressure, they do not forget the innocent victims. The Serbian Orthodox Church held a prayer for the victims of the aggression. From the commemoration, one thing was obviously noticeable: the people strongly oppose Montenegro’s entry into NATO. One of the major qualms of the Montenegrin people is that a significant part of the “elite” is orientated towards Euro – Atlantic structures.

The present Montenegrin elite is illegally enriched, and therefore Djukanovic can easily control them. Brainwashing in Montenegro is performed on a daily basis; all TV news stations are pro – Western, as well as almost all daily newspapers. Montenegro urgently needs pro – Russian television, which would make the media scene of Montenegro more balanced. However, the only daily newspaper that is pro – Serbian and pro – Russian is the most read one in Montenegro.

It is clear that without a strong Russia, Montenegro will have the sad fate of being yet another US colony. Therefore, greater political involvement of Russia is needed not only in Montenegro, but also in the Balkans. Unfortunately, Russia’s soft power in Montenegro is poor. Russia’s geopolitical situation is complex, however, it must find the strength to take a decisive step in Montenegro.