IMPULSE Keeping Focus: Reporting developments in Serbia Tensions in Serbia Continues as the Government Struggles With U S Sanctions and Resorts to Violence in Local Elections Key points: ɂ 1 November anniversary held peacefully, but tensions and continued near the“Ćacilend” pro­government camp in Belgrade ɂ Serbia’s economy seriously threatened as solution for the US-sanctioned Russia-owned Serbian Oil Company(NIS) remains distant ɂ The appointment of REM Council members – necessary for moving EU integration forward – not fully implemented ɂ Ruling parties achieve a pyrrhic victory after narrowly winning local elections in 3 municipalities on 30 November marred by violence Multiple incidents around“Ćacilend” A commemorative protest took place on 1 November 2025 in Novi Sad to mark the first anniversary of the tragedy that claimed 16 lives and triggered the largest wave of protests in Serbia’s recent history, as well as the formation of a student movement that has since evolved into a political actor. On the anniversary, students stated that their demands for justice had not been met. One year after the tragedy, an indictment filed by the prosecution against public officials for endangering public safety has still not been confirmed by the court. The gathering itself was one of the largest in the city’s history. While 1 November was peaceful, tensions rose again in the following days. Dijana Hrka, the mother of Stefan Hrka, one of the victims of the railway station collapse, gave a speech at the commemorative event in Novi Sad, announcing that she would begin a hunger strike the next day. She demanded that those responsible for the collapse be brought to justice, that illegally arrested students be released, and that an early parliamentary election be called, something the student movement had already demanded in May. Tensions in Serbia Continues as the Government Struggles With Us Sanctions and Resorts to Violence in Local Elections 1