A recent X post by a Serbian account boasts that Serbs heroically fought the Byzantine (“Romejski”) Empire, Ottomans, Austro-Hungarians, Germans, the Third Reich, America, Al Qaeda, and NATO — yet “still exist” with God’s help, refusing to live “under a foreign foot.” This is classic ultranationalist cope: cherry-picked history, exaggerated triumphs, ignored catastrophes, and selective amnesia about their own aggression. It’s not resilient defiance; it’s a pattern of overreach, crushing defeats, massive self-inflicted suffering, and modern denialism. Let’s dismantle it.

Medieval Fantasies and Byzantine/Ottoman “Resistance”

Serbian states did clash with Byzantium, peaking under Stefan Dušan in the 14th century with temporary expansions. But this “empire” quickly fragmented after his death due to internal divisions — a familiar Serbian theme. The iconic Battle of Kosovo (1389) against the Ottomans was a defeat (or inconclusive at best), leading to vassalage and eventual full Ottoman conquest by 1459. Serbs spent centuries under Ottoman rule, not as noble resistors but as subjects paying tribute, with periodic failed revolts.

The First Serbian Uprising (1804–1813) achieved temporary gains but ended in brutal Ottoman reconquest and reprisals. The Second Uprising brought limited autonomy, with full independence recognized only in 1878 via great-power diplomacy (Congress of Berlin), not pure battlefield glory. Romantic epics turned losses into eternal victim myths, but reality was subjugation followed by opportunistic alliances.

World Wars: Heroism at Catastrophic Cost

WWI

Serbia’s early victories against Austro-Hungary (Cer, Kolubara) were impressive for a small nation. But the human cost was apocalyptic — Serbia lost about one-third of its population (hundreds of thousands dead from fighting, typhus, and occupation). It survived thanks to Allied victory, not solo superhuman resistance. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Bosnian Serb nationalist was the spark that ignited the global slaughter.

WWII

Serbs committed unspeakable atrocities against Bosniaks, Albanians and Croats as well during the entire World War 2. Serbs also collaborated with the Nazis to hand over Jews, while Albanians did not. Serbian Chetniks would also execute Allied American and British pilots. So how did Serbia “fight” Nazi Germany exactly?

1990s Reality Check: Aggression, Not Victimhood

The post’s modern claims are the most dishonest. Serbia under Milošević pursued “Greater Serbia” through aggressive wars in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo. It wasn’t bravely resisting “America, Al Qaeda, NATO” out of noble freedom-loving spirit:

Bosnian War

Bosnian Serb forces (backed by Belgrade) committed the Srebrenica genocide (over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys systematically murdered), widespread ethnic cleansing, siege of Sarajevo, and rape camps. ICTY and ICJ confirmed genocide. This wasn’t defense — it was offensive expansionism.

Kosovo 1999

Serbian security forces displaced hundreds of thousands of Albanians amid atrocities. NATO intervened to stop it. Serbia lost control of Kosovo, faced bombing, and withdrew. No glorious stand — military defeat and international isolation.

“Al Qaeda” reference is fringe cope; the conflicts involved local Bosniak and Kosovar forces, not global jihad in the way implied. Serbia’s “resistance” in the 1990s produced war crimes convictions for leaders like Mladić and Karadžić, economic ruin, and pariah status.

The Core Delusion

This post embodies Serbian nationalist mythology: eternal victimhood justifying aggression, selective memory of battles while ignoring losses, demographic catastrophes, and moral failures. Serbia has survived, yes — as have most nations through history. But “never under a foreign foot” is laughable after centuries of Ottoman rule, WWII occupation, and 1999 capitulation. God had little to do with it; geography, great-power politics, and resilience amid self-destructive policies did.

True strength isn’t mythologizing defeats as cosmic victories or denying atrocities against neighbors. It’s honest reckoning. Serbia’s post-1990s trajectory shows slow progress, but posts like this reveal how denial and chauvinism still poison discourse. The “Serb will never live under a foreign foot” line rings hollow when the real pattern is repeated overreach followed by collapse, scapegoating, and revisionist TikTok history. History isn’t a nationalist fanfic — it’s messy, and this version is particularly dumb.

Source

https://x.com/mojasrpska92/status/2075162119939534863?s=20