Residents of Serbia came to the aid of immigrants from the Russian Federation after the collapse of the local Alta Bank - many Russians kept money there. On October 31, the National Bank of Serbia revoked the license of Alta Banka, one of the few banks in the country where Russian immigrants (and people from other countries, such as representatives of the Chinese diaspora) could open accounts with relative ease. Thousands of customers lost access to money, terminals of entrepreneurs stopped working, and problems arose with payment of wages. Today, the Serbian police arrested the owner of Alta Banka, Davor Machura, on suspicion of abuse of power. According to the prosecutors, he illegally withdrew money from a bank vault, and thus received about 45 billion dinars (more than 380 million euros). Two bank employees provided him with access, who were also arrested. These events caused an active discussion on social networks in Serbia - some of the country's residents mocked the Russians who arrived in the country en masse after 2022, but many decided to come to their aid. For example, the locals created a table "together with Russian businesses" and a map with more than 40 enterprises in Belgrade and Novi Sad. The list includes cafes, bookstores, restaurants and beauty salons. The Serbs urged people to go there, buy and pay in cash to help entrepreneurs survive the lockdown. "If you see a place with a Russian flag, stop, have a drink or buy some money," wrote the author of the maps Petar Vukmanovich. Another Serbian user said he offered help to his Russian friends who own a wine bar in Belgrade and asked others to support their establishment. In chat rooms, the migrants also share stories of how their Serbian neighbors come to visit them and offer to help. In Belgrade we organized the collection and distribution of food, baby food and things for the victims.

Residents of Serbia came to the aid of immigrants from the Russian Federation after the collapse of the local Alta Bank - many Russians kept money there. On October 31, the National Bank of Serbia revoked the license of Alta Banka, one of the few banks in the country where Russian immigrants (and people from other countries, such as representatives of the Chinese diaspora) could open accounts with relative ease. Thousands of customers lost access to money, terminals of entrepreneurs stopped working, and problems arose with payment of wages. Today, the Serbian police arrested the owner of Alta Banka, Davor Machura, on suspicion of abuse of power. According to the prosecutors, he illegally withdrew money from a bank vault, and thus received about 45 billion dinars (more than 380 million euros). Two bank employees provided him with access, who were also arrested. These events caused an active discussion on social networks in Serbia - some of the country's residents mocked the Russians who arrived in the country en masse after 2022, but many decided to come to their aid. For example, the locals created a table "together with Russian businesses" and a map with more than 40 enterprises in Belgrade and Novi Sad. The list includes cafes, bookstores, restaurants and beauty salons. The Serbs urged people to go there, buy and pay in cash to help entrepreneurs survive the lockdown. "If you see a place with a Russian flag, stop, have a drink or buy some money," wrote the author of the maps Petar Vukmanovich. Another Serbian user said he offered help to his Russian friends who own a wine bar in Belgrade and asked others to support their establishment. In chat rooms, the migrants also share stories of how their Serbian neighbors come to visit them and offer to help. In Belgrade we organized the collection and distribution of food, baby food and things for the victims.