BELGRADE, (Reuters) – The Russian national anthem played at Belgrade’s Victory Day celebration on Monday by hundreds of Serbians including top government officials. This was a sign of the political tension in a country that has been long associated with Moscow and is now seeking to become UE member.

A march was held to honor the fallen soldiers of Soviet and Serbian forces in World War Two. One person carried a huge letter Z, which is a symbol of Russia’s invasion and occupation of Ukraine. Another brought a cardboard photo cut out of Vladimir Putin.

Serbia, bombed two decades earlier by NATO and having close cultural ties to Russia for centuries has held off on taking sides after Russia invaded Ukraine. There have been calls from the West, too, that Serbia join sanctions against Moscow.

A crowd of hundreds wore photos from their ancestors in World War Two and gathered at a park in the city to march towards a cemetery.

“The divisions that we see in this country and around the world make me extremely sad,” he said. Miroslav Milutinovic (71) said that there are divisions between those who favor the West and those supporting Russia.

As ambassadors and ministers placed wreaths at the memorial, they played the national anthems for Russia, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan as well as Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Serbia. The Ukraine ambassador laid wreaths at the Memorial on Tuesday, but there were no officials from Serbia.

The audience included Ivica Dacic (Serbian Parliamentary Speaker), Aleksandar Vulin, the Interior Minister, and Daria Kisic Tepavcevic (Labour Minister), all of whom were skeptical about closer ties to the West.

Aleksandar Vucic is a former nationist and has been a strong advocate for EU membership. He was elected last month following a campaign to ensure that the EU bid was prioritized. After last month’s election, a new cabinet is still to be assembled and will not include openly pro-Moscowic political figures.