Putin Endorses Serbia's Vucic in Visit Overshadowed by Protests
- Vucic visits as Russian police jail opposition protesters
- Serbian leader says Moscow, Belgrade demos organized similarly
Protesters gather at Marsivo Field in St. Petersburg, Russia, on March 26, 2017.
Photographer: Dmitri Lovetsky/APPresident Vladimir Putin wished Aleksandar Vucic luck before Sunday’s presidential election as the Serbian prime minister blamed protests in Russia on the organizers who backed demonstrations against his government in Belgrade.
Vucic, who opinion polls show has a chance to win the presidential ballot in the April 2 first round, visited Moscow this week as opposition forces staged the biggest rallies against Putin’s government in at least half a decade. After Russian authorities jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny and other demonstrators, Vucic said the yellow rubber ducks carried by some Russian protesters showed they were linked to marches against his government, Serbian Novosti newspaper reported.