Good morning! The Cossacks were marching down the streets of Danilovgrad, led by the Serbian bishop Metodije and his secretary, Backovic. Konstantin Malofejev was somewhere there, or at least his spirit. Chief diplomats of both Serbia and Russia to Montenegro were there as well.
The Cossack Army led by Metodije
Few weeks ago, Nikola Jovic, a correspondent of ‘Pecat’ from the battlefield in Donbas, visited Montenegro. A correspondent convicted of taking part in the war in Ukraine back in 2015. A correspondent just like our propagandist Igor Damjanovic, who wears uniform around the occupied territories of Ukraine and takes pictures with Kadyrov’s generals and leaders of the self-proclaimed DPR and LNR, being sent there by the chancellor’s portal.
It was Jovic who recently posted pictures from Danilovgrad on his Facebook profile, with the black-gold-white flag of the Russian Empire, today used by Russian neo-Nazis, also posting a comment – ‘Danilovgrad People’s Republic’.
It’s interesting and symptomatic that those who created and initially led the so-called DNR and LNR showed up to “celebrate the glory of the city” of Danilovgrad with religious processions in the streets. It’s about the Cossack “enthusiasts”, a caricature of the former Cossack units, today very similar to the Chetniks, who also appoint people “ataman”, just as the Chetniks used to do with the title ‘vojvoda’ in the 1990s. Although funny, the people from these paramilitary organizations are very dangerous. Not in direct battles with the enemy, but in the background of the front – by torturing civilians.
Recall, the Balkan Cossack Army was set up precisely in the presence of Fr. Miajlo Backovic and the Montenegrin Night Wolves in 2016 in Kotor. Now again in his presence and the presence of his boss, the Serbian bishop in Montenegro, Metodije, they walked, pardon they marched through the streets of Danilovgrad. And all this in the presence of the ambassador of the Russian Federation to Montenegro Maslennikov, as well as the head of affairs of the Serbian embassy. The Serbian “ambassador” was prevented. Minister Selakovic took away his official car, he says.
The 21st of May initiative was the only one which had a serious and comprehensive reaction to this, urging the reaction of competent bodies. And this is also an opportunity for the new head of the ANB to prove that his appointment is not the product of a desire to alleviate the fight against Russian influence.
Authoritarian countries are incapable of soft influence because most of soft power and soft influence in foreign policy is not exercised by states but by organizations from the civil sector. Since authoritarian states and societies do not have a civil sector, the state fills that space. The Russians call it “people’s diplomacy”. They started with some serious and beautiful initiatives such as student exchange, but like everything undertaken by an aggressive and corrupt government, it ended in Cossacks, stirring tensions, causing instability and unrest. This with the Cossacks is another such threat, poor and miserable, a threat from impotence. A reminder that they’re here and can cause an incident whenever they want, because they have fanatics and madmen who are ready to wear the uniforms of a non-existent army and parade in the streets.
Aside from the Cossacks, we also have the Night Wolves, Sorok-Sorokov, our Oath Keepers Tvrdos. Fan groups, Orthodox brotherhoods. We lack no material for mobilization. They are just waiting for the Russian tanks to break through the Dnieper and head this way. To welcome them with flowers.
If only they had not been thwarted in their plans by the Ukrainians, who are also defending Montenegro near Kherson, in Zaporozhye and around Lyman these days.
That’s all for today. Until tomorrow.
Kind regards,
Ljubomir Filipovic, CdM observer
