Serbia’s populist president has apologized for calling a reporter with the state TV broadcaster an “imbecile” after her report from a massive anti-government protest over the weekend.

Since December, students from 65 of the country’s 80 faculties have been on strike. Schools are also on strike, and at major demonstrations, farmers have blocked main roads with dozens of tractors.

Serbia's deputy prime minister followed up on a meeting with Russia's spy chief in Moscow by accusing Western intelligence agencies on Friday of trying to destabilise the country by backing months of anti-government protests.

I believe that Serbia made a mistake today. I apologize to the citizens of Serbia for that, and I take the blame for that because I was probably tired and overwhelmed,” Aleksandar

Emboldened by Donald Trump's toxic rhetoric and freezing of US foreign aid, the pressure exerted by the Serbian government on the media has reached a level not seen since the 1990s. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urges the institutions of the European Union (EU) - which Serbia wants to join - to firmly condemn the deliberate targeting and criminalisation of an organisation providing Serbian citizens with trustworthy information.

Russia's Gazprom Neft transferred stakes of around 5.15% in Serbia's NIS oil company to Gazprom , in an attempt to ward off U.S. sanctions that could result in crude supply cuts for the Balkan country.

While much of Europe is wrestling with far-right politics, Serbia is seeing a student-led movement against corruption and its strongman president.

Security researchers found evidence that Cellebrite was used by Serbian police to hack into the cellphones of a local journalist and an activist.

Serbia is in last minute talks with the United States and Russia ahead of a Thursday deadline to avoid U.S. sanctions on oil company NIS that could result in crude supply cuts, Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said on Wednesday.

Serbia's populist president apologized Monday for calling a reporter with the state TV broadcaster an "imbecile" after her report from a mas.