Antifascists of Cetinje: What do the affirmers of the Chetnik movement's heritage do at the reception at the Russian Embassy on the occasion of Victory Day?

At the reception organized by the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Montenegro on May 9, Victory Day over Fascism, there were guests who openly affirmed the symbolism, narratives and political legacy of the Chetnik movement, which seriously compromises the symbolism of that date and the values ​​it should represent, the non-governmental organization (NGO) Antifascists of Cetinje assessed in an open letter sent to the Russian Ambassador to Montenegro, Aleksandar Petrovich Lukashik.

The NGO recalled that the Chetnik movement, within the historical framework of World War II, was documented as fascist and collaborationist, through cooperation with the Italian and German occupiers and the fight against the partisan, anti-fascist movement.

"What is additionally worrying is the fact that such a message is being sent precisely on a date that should symbolize an unequivocal victory over fascism and all its political and ideological servants. We are obliged to remind you that the Chetnik movement was not only a collaborationist, but also a formally and essentially fascist movement. Their official ideology, clearly defined in Stevan Moljević's famous document 'Homogeneous Serbia' from 1941, advocates ethnic cleansing, the creation of a "pure" Serbian territory and the destruction of the non-Serb population, which directly coincides with the Nazi and fascist projects of that time. That document calls for the 'relocation and elimination' of millions of people, and the Chetnik massacres in Montenegro and other places have shown how this ideology was implemented in practice," the letter from Antifascists of Cetinje states.

They emphasize that they are not talking about "isolated incidents", but about planned, systemic violence against non-Serbs, anti-fascists and all those who did not fit the Greater Serbia project.

"This policy was not resistance to fascism, but its regional version, carried out in cooperation with the Italian and German occupation forces, and in the NDH in cooperation with the Ustashas. The role of the Chetnik movement is not spoken of by 'communist myths', but by archival materials from Washington, Abwehr and Gestapo documentation, captured Chetnik archives, post-war court trials and Soviet military historiography," the address added.

Anti-fascists from Cetinje state that no one disputes the right of the Embassy of the Russian Federation to organize receptions and choose its guests, but point out that diplomatic protocol cannot be separated from the political and moral responsibility of the messages it sends to the public of the host country.

"Under the red five-pointed star, the Red Army defeated Nazism. This is a historical fact. That is why we ask you how the presence and affirmation of persons who publicly promote the symbolism of a movement that collaborated with the occupying forces can be justified at an event commemorating the victory over fascism? Does this mean that today, for the sake of political interests and alliances, people are trying to forget who was on the side of anti-fascism and who was on the side of collaboration? Would it be possible in Moscow to celebrate Victory Day alongside veterans of the Red Army and anti-fascists, with admirers and political heirs of the collaborationist formations that fought alongside Nazi Germany? And if you are already inviting Chetnik followers to the reception, we suggest that next year you also invite their ideological brothers and brothers in collaboration with the fascists and Nazis – the Ustasha. And those admirers of the 369th Legionary Regiment from Stalingrad. Or admirers of Andrei Vlasov, Peter Krasnov, Andrej Škur, Bronislav Kaminski and other collaborators of the Third Reich. And let 'Lili Marlen' be sung instead of 'Svjašchennaya vojna'. It's fairer," the letter concluded.