“We consider this incident to be a shameful act directed at an architectural monument of the city of Novi Sad and an attempt to desecrate the memory of a symbol of the Ukrainian nation on a tragic date for the whole of Ukraine and the civilised world, 24 February. Such actions of vandals are aimed at undermining Ukrainian-Serbian relations,” the statement quoted by the media said. However, the statement is no longer available on the embassy’s social networks.
The Ukrainian diplomats called on the competent Serbian authorities to investigate the circumstances of the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Political analyst and journalist Boris Varga said that such excesses do not surprise him. He recalled that the last time the monument was desecrated with the letter “Z” – one of the symbols of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Most likely, in both cases, it was Putinophiles who were bothered by the presence of Ukrainian symbols in Serbia,” Varga suggests.
This is not the first case of desecration of this monument, near which solidarity rallies with Ukrainians are held in the town of Novi Sad.
According to the latest Gallup poll, Serbia is the only European country to show support for Russian President Vladimir Putin. In all other countries, Putin received negative ratings.