Serbian authorities have alleged that the rally is a plot to overthrow the government, drawing parallels to the 2013-14 coup in Kiev.
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, on Saturday to protest the resumption of a contentious lithium mining project. The country’s government has claimed that these protests are an attempt to stage a Maidan-style coup against the administration.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic revealed the previous day that Moscow had warned Belgrade about a potential coup attempt, adding that Serbia’s Security Intelligence Agency (BIA) was already investigating leads provided by Russia.
Commenting on the rally, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin, a former head of the intelligence services, asserted that the protest is “moving in accordance with a Maidan scenario,” referencing the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2013-14 which resulted in the ouster of then-President Viktor Yanukovich.
He further stated that “There is no reason to fear,” emphasizing that “Vucic is not Yankovich, he has no intention of running away and handing power over to thugs.”
The protesters demanded that the government ban lithium mining in the Jadar region, situated in the western part of the country, arguing that the project poses significant environmental risks. Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic reported that up to 27,000 individuals participated in the Saturday rally.
Discovered in 2004, Jadar is recognized as Europe’s largest deposit of lithium – a key material used in electric car batteries. The mine’s annual production is estimated at 58,000 tons of refined battery-grade lithium carbonate, reportedly enough to meet 90% of the continent’s current lithium demand. In 2021, British-Australian mining company Rio Tinto announced plans to invest $2.4 billion in the project.
A license granted to Rio Tinto by the Serbian authorities was revoked in 2022 following widespread protests across the nation. However, the project was reinstated in July after the Serbian Constitutional Court ruled the revocation unconstitutional.
Both the company and the country’s authorities have pledged to maintain the highest environmental standards in the agricultural region. Vucic has announced plans for a referendum on the issue, and on Saturday, he stated that lithium mining will be halted in the country for the next two years.