Serbia-oriented non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the fields of culture and education serve as important channels for spreading Serbian and Russian influence in Montenegro. By hiding behind a manipulative narrative of the endangerment of Serbian identity, as well as the protection of Serbian religion, culture, and language, these NGOs continuously propagate ethnonationalist and ethnophyletist ideologies in Montenegro. Their engagement is rooted in promoting Serbian unitarism, which manifests in advocating the concept of the Serbian World. This activity is based on opposing the civic structure of Montenegrin society, particularly through denying Montenegrin identity and statehood. Therefore, the funding of such NGOs represents a significant issue, as highlighted by the Digital Forensic Center (DFC) in its study Unbreakable Bonds or Geopolitical Strategy – Serbia’s Influence in Montenegro.
Funding for the Census Campaign
The Government of the Republic of Serbia, specifically the Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region, which operates within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been financing certain NGOs in Montenegro for years. The Directorate’s director, Arno Gujon, transitioned from political involvement in the far-right Blok identitaraca (Bloc Identitaire) in France to political engagement within the Serbian government. Gujon himself confirmed that the Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region provides significant financial assistance to organizations in Montenegro. During a session of the Committee for the Diaspora in the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in December 2022, he announced that Serbian organizations in Montenegro would receive three times more funding in 2023 compared to the previous year. This session was also attended by the presidents of Montenegrin municipalities and municipal assemblies affiliated with the coalition For the Future of Montenegro. According to data from the Directorate’s website, Serbia-oriented organizations in Montenegro were allocated 3,830,000 dinars in 2022. For 2023, 9,630,000 dinars were earmarked for projects that contribute to preserving and strengthening the ties between the home country and Serbs in Montenegro.
Funds are allocated to organizations and projects that ostensibly promote culture, education, and tradition. However, their true goal is to impose the narrative that Serbian identity, language, culture, and tradition are dominant in Montenegro. Simultaneously, they undermine Montenegro’s sovereignty, authentic Montenegrin identity, language, tradition, and culture, erode the secular and civic character of the state, and jeopardize its Euro-Atlantic path. Organizations close to the Serbian Orthodox Church and pro-Serbian and pro-Russian political structures in Montenegro are the primary recipients of funds from the Serbian government. These funds are used to support numerous panels, public appearances, and activities on social media and in traditional media to bolster extreme nationalist and far-right political agendas. The Digital Forensic Center (DFC) has extensively documented the propaganda activities of NGOs funded by the Serbian budget during the campaign for the 2023 census in Montenegro.
For example, the unregistered pro-Serbian and pro-Russian portal IN4S received 400,000 dinars in 2023 from the Directorate for a project titled Antisrpsko u Crnoj Gori (Anti-Serbian Sentiment in Montenegro). The Serbian National Council of Montenegro, founded and led by Momčilo Vuksanović, was allocated 300,000 dinars in June 2023 for a publishing project titled U susret popisu stanovništva u Crnoj Gori (In Preparation for the Census in Montenegro). At a panel discussion in January 2024, Položaj srpskog naroda u zemljama regiona (The Position of Serbs in Regional Countries), held during Svetosavske festivities in Čačak, Vuksanović expressed his expectation that census results would show a significant increase in the number of Montenegrins identifying as Serbs and speaking the Serbian language. During the same period, the Serbian National Council of Montenegro, also initiated by the Serbian National Council and chaired by Vuksanović, received 300,000 dinars for a project titled Akademske tribine (Academic Panels). These events were held at the Serbian House in Podgorica and Pljevlja, focusing on themes such as Ili Njegoš ili Tito (Either Njegoš or Tito), Perspektive srpskog naroda u Crnoj Gori (Perspectives of the Serbian People in Montenegro), Crnogorska identitetska zagonetka (The Montenegrin Identity Puzzle), and Crna Gora i priznanje lažne države Kosovo (Montenegro and the Recognition of the Fake State of Kosovo). Participants included prominent promoters of Serbian nationalism, such as Marko Carević, Novica Đurić, Budimir Dubak, Milo Lompar, Dejan Mirović, Dragoslav Bokan, Srđa Trifković, among others.
Funding in 2024
According to the Decision on the Allocation of Funds for Financing Projects Supporting Activities under Article 36, Paragraph 1 of the Law on Minority Rights and Freedoms for 2024, Montenegro’s Fund for the Protection and Realization of Minority Rights allocated significant funds totaling €189,150 to non-governmental Serbia-oriented organizations. These organizations include: Društvo srpskih domaćina Crne Gore (Society of Serbian Hosts of Montenegro), Srpsko kulturno društvo Vuk (Serbian Cultural Society Vuk), Srpski informativno-kulturni klub Sveti Sava (Serbian Information and Cultural Club Saint Sava), NVO Kulturna scena (NGO Cultural Scene), S-Mediji (S-Media), Srpsko narodno vijeće Crne Gore (Serbian National Council of Montenegro), NVO Bisernica (NGO Bisernica), Srpska književna zadruga (Serbian Literary Cooperative), Konferencija srpskih nacionalnih organizacija iz zemalja regiona (Conference of Serbian National Organizations from the Region). It is noteworthy that these organizations are connected to the same individuals who represent the Serbian community in Montenegro. While they operate as separate entities, they are managed or controlled by the same people, enabling them to multiply access to resources without significant differences in the goals and projects they implement. Additionally, all these organizations operate under the framework of the Serbian House. The group of individuals behind these organizations includes Momčilo Vuksanović, Tatijana Raspopović, Ivana Kruščić, Đorđe Grujić, Ljubomir Peković, Božidar Leovac, and Predrag Milačić.
Significant support for these organizations is also provided by the Serbian Orthodox Church and its clergy in Montenegro. This is evidenced by the praise given by Metropolitan Joanikije for the work and contributions of the Council of National Assemblies and the Serbian National Council. On November 26, 2024, Joanikije stated that individuals gathered around the Council rose to defend sacred sites during a time when five or six individuals, manipulated by various services, attempted to hand over churches and monasteries to defrocked clergy appearing across Montenegro. Joanikije specifically thanked Momčilo Vuksanović for playing a significant role in defending the Serbian language and Cyrillic script.
At the same time, these organizations applied in 2024 to the Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region, where they were allocated financial resources amounting to 2,600,000 dinars for projects with similar topics. The aforementioned individuals submitted projects through the same organizations for publishing activities, academic panels, Serbian electronic newspapers, and joint activities of the Serbian people in the region. The Serbian Information and Cultural Club Sveti Sava received 200,000 dinars from the Directorate for a project titled Days of the Serbian Assembly – National Holidays. As part of this initiative, a ceremonial academy will be organized on December 1, 2024, to mark 106 years since the Great Podgorica Assembly of the Serbian People in Montenegro and the Day of the Unification of Montenegro and Serbia. This suggests that the Serbian government is funding proxy actors in Montenegro who organize events celebrating the decisions of the 1918 Podgorica Assembly, which symbolizes the dissolution of Montenegro as a state and its unconditional annexation to Serbia.
Based on the decision to co-finance projects that contribute to preserving and strengthening ties between the home country and Serbs in the region, the Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region allocated a total of 9,420,000 dinars to organizations from Montenegro for 2024. This indicates that the Serbian government is providing significant funds to actors and organizations in Montenegro that align their activities with the interests of the regime in Serbia and seek to influence public perceptions on important socio-political issues. The projects funded by Serbia are directed at negating Montenegro’s history, culture, traditions, and national identity. This represents a strategic approach to indirect interference by the regime in Belgrade in Montenegro’s internal political and social affairs.
It is evident that the funding of Serbia-oriented non-governmental organizations in Montenegro, both by Montenegrin and Serbian institutions, points to a coordinated strategy aimed at promoting narratives that support Serbian nationalism, unitarism, and the concept of the Serbian World. These formally independent organizations, operate through an interconnected network of the same actors, thereby multiplying access to resources and achieving politically motivated objectives.
This funding practice not only undermines principles of transparency but also carries broader geopolitical implications, as it serves as a tool for spreading the influence of the regime in Belgrade and, indirectly, Russia, on Montenegro’s socio-political environment. Therefore, it is essential to reassess the criteria for allocating funds, strengthen oversight of project implementation, and ensure that such projects genuinely contribute to preserving Montenegro’s multicultural and civic society.