Serbian police detain 38 protesters in Belgrade

According to European Pravda, this was stated by the head of the police department, Ivica Ivkovic, as quoted by N1.

According to him, most of the detainees are suspected of calling for a violent change in the constitutional order and violent behavior at public gatherings.

Ivkovic also said that two police officers were seriously injured, one of them is undergoing surgery today.

According to Radio Liberty, the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that 7 policemen were injured. Minister of the Interior Bratislav Gašić visited the victims at the emergency center in Belgrade on December 25, the news outlet informed.

"Attacks on police officers who defend the laws of the Republic of Serbia are unacceptable," he said.

The minister also visited police officers who protect public order and guard state institutions.

Meanwhile, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić said that Russian intelligence services warned the Serbian government about possible clashes during the opposition protest in Belgrade.

"We had information from the special services that warned us about this. First, the Russian security service provided us with such information," Brnabic said. She noted that these warnings were received during the election campaign, and several ambassadors (as the context suggests, from Western countries) did not believe them and advised the Serbian authorities not to trust Russia.

Opposition protests in Belgrade on December 24: what is known

On the evening of December 24, the opposition coalition Serbia Against Violence held protests in Belgrade. Opposition members and their supporters demanded that the election results be annulled at all levels. They do not recognize the election results and claim that the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won by cheating in the election - particularly by falsely registering its voters from other parts of Serbia and abroad at addresses in Belgrade.

During the protest, a group of masked people tried to enter the Belgrade Assembly, smashed windows and doors, and police inside the building threw tear gas and pepper spray at them. More than 30 demonstrators were arrested. This was the seventh opposition protest in Belgrade demanding the cancellation of the December 17 elections. 

SNS announces victory at all levels, including Belgrade. The ruling party and the Serbian leadership deny election fraud.

In an address on the evening of December 24, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that he had allegedly been warned about the possibility of protests by "foreign intelligence services." He did not specify which country (or countries) he was referring to.