Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Vulin alleges there to is a link between assassination attempts against those who advocate a peace treaty to settle the Ukraine conflict. On Oct. 9, Vulin, who previously served as the Director of Serbia’s Security Intelligence Agency, was asked by Russia’s National Defense publication about his claim of foreign threats against his President Aleksandar Vučić. He first explained: “The information that I voiced was also confirmed by the Russian security services. It is well known that our President Aleksandar Vučić is an obstacle for many influential Western circles. For them, in principle, it is a very big problem that we have the opportunity to pursue an independent policy. They don’t like it very much, they would like Serbia to become just some kind of territory within the European Union. Because the EU is more of an association of territories than states. Therefore, there are indeed threats to our President. But the Serbian security services are quite strong and professional, we will cope with the task of preserving it, we will save it”—assumedly meaning the state.