The Facts

• On Saturday, tens of thousands of protesters went through Belgrade, Serbia, to protest plans to mine one of Europe's largest lithium resources in the Jadar Valley, which activists warn would cause permanent ecological damage.

• In 2022, protests stopped the lithium mine, but a deal with the EU on "critical raw materials" last month revived Rio Tinto's mining plans to drastically reduce Europe's lithium shortages, which are essential for EV batteries and Europe's green energy transition.

• Serbia aspires to EU membership and maintains close ties with both Russia and China. President Aleksandar Vucic said he had received Russian intelligence that the protests were politically motivated and that undisclosed Western powers had planned "mass unrest" to bring down the government.