Support The Moscow Times!

Russia’s ‘Basic Instinct’ Dig Provokes Spat With Ally Serbia

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Andrej Cukic / EPA / TASS

Serbia accused Russia of “primitivism and vulgarity” on Sunday after Russia’s diplomatic spokeswoman appeared to mock Serbia’s president on social media, marking a rare criticism toward Belgrade’s longtime ally.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova struck a nerve Saturday when she posted a photo of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic alongside a screengrab of Hollywood star Sharon Stone’s iconic leg-crossing scene from the 1992 thriller “Basic Instinct.” 

The primitivism and vulgarity she showed speaks about herself, but also about those who have given her the job,” Vucic told Serbian television in response to the post, according to The Associated Press.

The image of Vucic that Zakharova posted depicts him sitting opposite U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House last Friday, where he attended a U.S.-brokered signing ceremony normalizing economic relations with Serbia’s former province of Kosovo.

If you are invited to the White House but your chair stands like you are in an interrogation, you should sit like in picture number 2. Whoever you are. Just trust me,” Zakharova's caption said (as translated by Reuters).

Serbian defense minister Aleksandar Vulin criticized Zakharova for “petty malice,” while Vucic’s ruling party official Marko Djuric chided: “I will not allow you to attack proud Serbia. Shame on you!”

Zakharova appeared to walk back her comments Sunday, saying in an updated Facebook post that her comments were misinterpreted. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke with Vucic by phone after the scandal, where he underscored the two countries’ “sincerely close” bilateral ties.

Russia and Serbia have strong political, military and economic ties due to their shared Slavic and Orthodox Christian heritage. Russia also backs Serbia’s refusal to recognize Kosovo as an independent country.

Serbia depends on Russian oil and gas, and the Balkan nation wants to join the TurkStream gas pipeline that would bypass Ukraine and carry Russian gas to European markets.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more