Russian anthem played as Serbia, torn between EU and Moscow, marks WWII end

Zoran Maric, President of Russian minority party, holds a poster of Russian President Vladimir Putin, during the Immortal Regiment march on Victory Day, which marks the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Belgrade, Serbia, May 9, 2022. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

BELGRADE (Reuters) - The Russian national anthem was played in Belgrade on Monday as hundreds of Serbians, including senior government officials, assembled for Victory Day, showing the political strain of a country long aligned with Moscow but now trying to join the EU.

At a march to pay homage to Serbian and Soviet troops who died in World War Two, someone held a giant letter Z - symbol of Russia's invasion of Ukraine - and someone else had brought a life-size cardboard cut-out photo of President Vladimir Putin.