National Security Council

The White House said Thursday that Iranian troops are "directly engaged on the ground" in Crimea supporting Russian drone attacks on Ukraine's power stations and other key infrastructure, claiming it has troubling evidence of Tehran's deepening role assisting Russia as it exacts suffering on Ukrainian civilians just as the cold weather sets in.

Vui explained that the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, who is not under sanctions, came to Belgrade to hold consultations with the Russian ambassadors in the region and emphasized that no one was hiding it, as some media and politicians announced.

The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, called the explosion of the Crimean bridge a terrorist attack, the perpetrators, guarantors and executors of which are the Ukrainian special services. The chairman of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, added that Russian citizens and foreign countries were involved in the organization of the attack.

The traditional walk, which the organizers insist on holding, is scheduled for Saturday, September 17, starting at 5 p.m. in front of the Serbian Parliament.

The session discussed the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as the holding of Europride 2022 and cyber security in the energy sector.

Asked to comment on the statements that the north of Kosovo and Metohija is not ruled by Serbia but by Pristina, Aleksandar Vui said that he thought that things in the international order were based on respect for norms and signed documents. "Now I understand that they are based on someone's desire to rule over someone and something," he added.

Montenegrin National Security Council session in Podgorica. Photo: Government of Montenegro

Since August 22, the government has reported two series of cyber-attacks on government servers, claiming they managed to prevent any damage.

The National Security Agency of Montenegro stated that several Russian agencies were behind the unprecedented cyber attack against Montenegrin institutions, BTA reported.

Montenegro's intelligence agency also said it feared the attack had not yet reached its peak and that all "key infrastructure", such as the electricity system or water supply, could be targeted.

Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic (left) and head of National Security Agency Savo Kentera (right) in Budva. Photo: Atlantic Council of Montenegro

The ANB told media that Montenegro is in what it called a hybrid war at the moment.

Members of the government's national security council will convene on Tuesday at the Maximos Mansion to discuss border security, especially along the Evros (Maritsa) River, which separates Greece and Turkey in the northeast Thrace province.

Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis will chair the session. On Monday, the Greek premier paid an official visit to Qatar.