You can spend years in Serbia, start a business and buy a home, yet still need someone beside you for every important conversation at a bank or public office. Familiar Slavic words make the country feel accessible. They can also create false confidence: a conversation seems clear while its most consequential details remain misunderstood.
SRBIJA NEWS editor-in-chief Vitaly Ataev Troshin discussed this gap with Antonela Bijelić Milojica, a Russian-language teacher, communication studies graduate and appointed court translator for Russian in Serbia. Their conversation, lasting approximately 55 minutes, moved from language learning to documents, banking, property, political change and the point at which a temporary destination becomes home.
This feature adapts the interview rather than reproducing a verbatim transcript. The guest’s observations are distinguished from editorial background, administrative statistics and current procedural requirements.
How many Russian speakers live in Serbia?
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Serbia became one destination for a new wave of Russian emigration. People left for different reasons: war and mobilisation, political conditions, employment, family circumstances or the wish to rebuild their lives. Some continued elsewhere; others settled for the longer term.
There is no single reliable figure for everyone who speaks Russian in Serbia today. Russian citizenship, Russian ethnicity and Russian as a mother tongue are different categories. Russian speakers also include citizens of other countries, while citizenship alone does not establish a person’s language or identity.
The 2022 Serbian census recorded 11,255 residents who identified Russian as their mother tongue. That is a census result for its reference period, not a count of the community in November 2026. It also does not measure everyone able to communicate in Russian.
A more recent administrative reference is Serbia’s Migration Profile for 2025, compiled by the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration using Interior Ministry data:
| Category | People | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Russian citizens with valid temporary residence | 54,917 | End of 2025 |
| Russian citizens with permanent residence | 7,032 | End of 2025 |
| Combined total of these two categories | 61,949 | Editorial calculation, not a count of all Russian speakers |
Russian citizens accounted for 47.7% of valid temporary residence permissions held by foreigners at the end of 2025. Tables 12 and 14 provide the relevant figures; the report identifies 25 February 2026 as the compilation date for the residence data.
These numbers establish a community numbering tens of thousands of Russian citizens with formal residence status. They do not justify adding an arbitrary estimate for visitors, treating all Russian nationals as Russian speakers, or adding the census figure to residence totals: the datasets may overlap and measure different populations.
As of this article’s reference date, 4 November 2026, the total Russian-speaking population cannot be established from the sources checked. The latest annual administrative snapshot identified here records 61,949 Russian citizens across two residence categories at the end of 2025.
Our earlier feature on the Russian community, start-ups and cafés in Serbia explores the social and economic setting. It is in Russian. This interview adds a practical question: how does a newcomer become an independent participant in everyday life?
Who is Antonela Bijelić Milojica?
Antonela’s office is in Nova Pazova, between Belgrade and Novi Sad. She says she works with clients across Serbia, travelling when a particular assignment requires it. Her professional perspective is rooted in the small but consequential details of relocation: a surname in a certificate, an unfamiliar contractual clause or an official letter whose next step is unclear.
Her published professional biography identifies her as a graduate teacher of Russian language and literature and a holder of a master’s qualification in communication studies. It lists her appointment as a court translator for Russian in 2021 under Serbian Justice Ministry decision No. 128-74-17/2021-02. These qualifications are presented on the basis of that biography.
She does not claim expertise in every area. When asked for precise permanent-residence requirements or predictions about future policy, she acknowledges the limits of her knowledge. A translator’s language assistance and an assessment by a suitably qualified legal adviser serve different functions.
Related languages do not guarantee understanding
A Russian speaker may begin recognising Serbian before being able to speak it confidently. Similar words, Cyrillic writing and shared Slavic roots help with shopping, a café order or a brief exchange with a neighbour. They do not guarantee understanding of obligations, exceptions or consequences.
Antonela illustrates this with banking: signing a document is easy; understanding every condition is harder. In ordinary conversation an uncertain phrase can be revisited. After a contract is signed, correcting a misunderstanding may take considerably more effort.
Her central distinction is between knowing individual words and being able to live independently through the language. The aim is not flawless grammar from day one. It is the ability to explain a problem, ask a follow-up question and recognise when an answer is still unclear.
Asking for repetition or a written explanation is a useful habit. Agreeing simply because it feels awkward to admit uncertainty can leave a person without the information needed to make a decision.
The “false friends” problem: a story about sueta
One of the interview’s liveliest episodes concerns the Russian word sueta. Antonela recalls hearing Russian colleagues use it and interpreting it through the similar Serbian word. The misunderstanding was resolved later during a separate discussion about language.
In Russian, the word can describe fuss, bustle or restless activity. Serbian sujeta concerns vanity, self-importance or sensitivity about how others perceive a person. Familiar sound led the meaning in the wrong direction. Even substantial professional experience does not eliminate such traps.
The interview mentions further examples, including život, pravo and pozorište. A list of amusing similarities is a starting point, not a substitute for understanding the complete sentence: who must do what, on which terms, and by when.
Antonela invites viewers to share their own misunderstandings. Repeated examples can help the newsroom identify topics that deserve a separate practical explanation.
Can artificial intelligence translate everything?
Vitaly notes how translation applications and AI have made everyday tasks easier. They can help someone read an announcement, prepare a message or get an initial sense of an unfamiliar letter.
Antonela argues that human translators retain a special role through context, clarification and an understanding of the situation. Her confidence in that role is her professional view, not an established prediction about the future of technology.
The useful question is whether a particular tool is sufficient for the task. Reading a menu is different from preparing a translation for an institution or understanding a document affecting money and rights. A machine-generated text does not in itself demonstrate that formal translation requirements have been satisfied.
Automatic translation can be valuable preparation if names, figures, dates and terminology are then checked. It helps to distinguish what the text clearly says, what the reader is assuming and what must still be clarified.
What a court translator actually does
The professional title may suggest work only in courtrooms. Antonela describes a broader range of assignments: written documents, communication with institutions, family procedures, notarial matters and participation in legal proceedings.
She recalls an unexpected examination text about birds. The challenge was not only specialist vocabulary, but staying calm, understanding the substance and conveying it accurately. In her account, the experience illustrates why translation requires both preparation and the ability to locate reliable information.
Another story concerns her first assignment at a detention facility. The memorable details were identity checks, access procedures and unfamiliar rules of interaction. We present it as a professional recollection, without drawing conclusions about the person involved, their guilt or the reasons for their subsequent departure: the newsroom has not examined the case file.
A translator often meets a client when that person is anxious, rushed or afraid of making an error. Human support matters, but language assistance should not be confused with a promise about the decision an institution will make.
Who arranges and pays for interpreting?
Some newcomers assume that an institution will automatically provide a Russian-speaking professional. Antonela distinguishes assignments commissioned by a state body from situations where a client finds and pays a translator independently.
Her experience should not be turned into a universal rule for every procedure. Arrangements and costs depend on the type of proceedings and applicable requirements. Before attending, ask the institution whether an interpreter is necessary, who must arrange one and which documents are required.
An English-speaking employee or a friend willing to help does not automatically answer the separate question of formal requirements. Clarifying this beforehand can prevent an unsuccessful visit.
Names and surnames: why one letter matters
Antonela’s Russian-speaking clients come from different countries, including Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Moving names between writing systems can create difficulties. In the interview she recommends paying attention to Serbian Cyrillic and transcription.
This is a professional recommendation to assess in the context of the particular document. It is not an instruction to change an established official spelling independently. Requirements and consistency across existing records should be checked first.
Show the translator a passport and earlier documents before work begins. After receiving the translation, check every part of the name, birth date, document number and other identifiers. An early check can prevent a discrepancy from being copied into another record.
Antonela also acknowledges human error. She describes correcting inaccuracies and arranging replacement delivery. Clients need both a sound initial document and a clear way to resolve mistakes.
Banking makes the language barrier visible
Antonela cautions against treating one unsuccessful branch visit as proof of how an entire country operates. In her experience, a task may be completed quickly in one office and delayed elsewhere by queues, technical problems or additional questions.
An anecdote alone proves neither that there is no problem nor that discrimination occurred. Understanding a particular case requires identifying the requested service, the documents submitted and the bank’s actual response. Limited language skills make this harder.
Prepare the purpose of the visit, relevant documents and specific questions. If an explanation is unclear, ask for it in writing. The government’s Welcome to Serbia portal offers general information on accounts for residents and non-residents; a particular product’s terms must be checked with the bank.
Banking difficulties were one reason Antonela initially proposed this discussion. Unverified claims about a specific bank’s closure are not adopted as facts in this feature.
Serbia’s political changes: context for the conversation
The interview touches on student protests, events in Novi Sad, European integration and uncertainty among people who have invested money, effort and family plans in Serbia.
Editorial background, 4 November 2026: a government statement dated 2 November citing the Republic Electoral Commission reported figures from all 8,392 polling stations following repeat voting: the Student List received 53.01% and “Aleksandar Vučić — United Serbia” 38.98%.
An election outcome and the completion of a new government’s formation are separate stages. References in conversation to a “change of power” should be understood against this electoral turning point and transition, not as evidence that every administrative rule has already changed.
Antonela describes tension and expectations, while making no claim to know future decisions. She emphasises human relationships and recalls a family observation: daily life still has to be sustained through one’s own work, whatever politicians are called.
That is her personal perspective. Neighbourly warmth, social attitudes and formal residence requirements are connected but distinct. A friendly conversation does not guarantee an administrative decision, and an unpleasant queue does not by itself establish a policy change.
On the European Union, she does not portray Serbian society as unanimous. Nor should the article assign a single foreign-policy agenda to everyone who participated in protests.
The Russian community does have a formal representation mechanism
The conversation raises an open question about official representation and mentions the Russian Party. An editorial clarification is necessary so that uncertainty expressed during an interview does not become an incorrect factual assertion.
An official announcement on national minority council elections provides for the Russian community’s representatives to be elected through an electoral assembly. Our Russian-language explanation of the 8 November council elections discusses the different procedures.
It would therefore be wrong to say that the Russian community has no formal representation mechanism. A national council, a political party and an informal Russian-speaking community are different entities, and they do not automatically represent the same people. Residence permission alone should not be treated as proof of voting eligibility.
The Russian and Rusyn communities must also be distinguished. Similar names do not make them one national group, and not every Russian speaker identifies ethnically as Russian.
When Serbia becomes home
Antonela speaks warmly about clients whose children attend Serbian schools, who enter local universities or open cafés, restaurants, bakeries and shops. She especially remembers encountering Russian-speaking families at Serbian theatre performances.
These observations are not a representative sociological survey. They illustrate one possible transition: from arranging the essentials of a move to participating in shared cultural and social life.
Time in the country is not the only ingredient. Contacts, curiosity about other people and the ability to understand their speech also matter. Our earlier Russian-language interview with property consultant Denis Chizhov about making a home in Serbia looks at a related decision. Choosing a property is followed by the daily work of building a life.
Buying property: ask before signing
Vitaly asks about people who find an attractive home online and want to move immediately towards purchase. Antonela’s response centres on verification: use official sources, examine available information and establish document requirements.
The Republic Geodetic Authority, RGZ, is a starting point for exploring state property services. An online search is not a complete assessment of a transaction’s safety. The individual property and contract require separate scrutiny.
Questions for qualified professionals include who is recorded as owner, which rights and restrictions attach to the property, what is being sold, how payment and handover work, and which costs the buyer bears. Any preliminary payment needs clear terms, including when it is retained or refunded.
Understanding a contract’s language does not replace legal analysis and document checks. A translator’s presence is not confirmation that a purchase is advantageous.
Residence plans require separate care. Check the relevant basis and current requirements through official information for foreigners. A property’s price, a friend’s experience or an intermediary’s promise is not enough. Antonela expressly declines to list exact permanent-residence conditions in the interview.
Work and business: language widens the conversation
Serbian helps an entrepreneur communicate with customers, suppliers and local professionals. Even a business initially serving Russian speakers may encounter Serbian contracts, official correspondence and practical requests.
Antonela also stresses informal opportunities: conversations bring acquaintances, ideas and connections. Learning the language does not guarantee employment or sales, but it makes explaining a proposal and understanding a response more accessible.
Our guide to starting a business in Serbia in 2026/27 discusses registration, incentives and costs. Registration and the everyday ability to run a business require different kinds of preparation.
How much should you budget for translation?
There is no universal budget. Antonela says the price depends on volume, document type and purpose. Examples mentioned in the recording are approximately RSD 1,350–1,700 for a small translation and around €100–120 for a more extensive diploma package with appendices. They are interview examples, not a national tariff or a quotation for an individual reader.
Sometimes a receiving institution needs a limited translation; another procedure may require a complete set. Saving money sensibly starts with checking the recipient’s requirements. Guessing the necessary volume can lead to another submission and lost time.
For an estimate, explain where and why the documents will be submitted, provide legible copies and state the deadline. Ask whether certification, interpreting, delivery and additional copies are included. Comparing offers is reasonable when their scope is comparable.
Serbian for Russian speakers: a programme with Jovana Jugović
Before the interview, Antonela introduced the “Serbian for Russians” programme, developed with her colleague Jovana Jugović for Russian-speaking residents of Serbia. Jovana is the programme’s co-author; she did not take part in the recorded conversation, and Antonela’s comments are not attributed to her.
The programme relates to the interview’s central issue: independent life in the country’s language. Prospective learners should ask about entry level, course content, speaking practice and the practical tasks covered.
Current dates, format, prices and participation terms should be obtained from the organisers. The newsroom has not taken the course or assessed its educational outcomes. Participation in the interview was arranged without an editorial participation fee; the link identifies the guest’s project.
Practical steps after watching
- Choose one recurring task and practise the Serbian needed to handle it.
- List unfamiliar documents, their issuer, recipient and deadline before asking a specialist.
- Compare personal details across records before the next application.
- Distinguish another person’s experience from a general rule.
- Keep links to official sources and check dates and applicability.
- Ask for an explanation before signing anything you do not understand.
- Include Serbian in everyday life through short conversations, local activities and cultural events.
At the end, Antonela returns to attention to people and affection for language as the connection between teaching and translating. A Russian-speaking network can remain an important source of support. Serbian makes it possible to extend that network: to speak directly with neighbours, understand institutions and participate without always needing an intermediary.
Contact Antonela Bijelić Milojica
Antonela Bijelić Milojica — Russian-language court translator and teacher; master’s qualification in communication studies. Office: Cara Dušana 117, Nova Pazova, Serbia. Ask directly about appointments, travel and assignments elsewhere.
- Professional website · Biography
- Serbian-language programme with Jovana Jugović
- Contact page · LinkedIn
- Telegram · WhatsApp
- Telephone: +381 60 311 9013
- Translation: [email protected]
- Course enquiries: [email protected]
Contact information was checked against the guest’s correspondence and professional website. Confirm service conditions directly.
Sources and editorial approach
This feature is based on the SRBIJA NEWS interview of 4 November 2026 and its supplied transcript, supplemented by correspondence about the programme and co-authorship. Biography: the guest’s website. Residence figures: the 2025 Migration Profile, tables 12 and 14. Mother tongue: the 2022 census. Election background: the official 2 November 2026 statement. Earlier newsroom stories provide context and do not replace current official requirements.
Interview: Vitaly Ataev Troshin, founder and editor-in-chief of SRBIJA NEWS. Feature preparation and reference checks: SRBIJA NEWS editorial team. This is an informational article; individual legal and immigration questions require case-specific verification.
Which language misunderstandings have you encountered in Serbia? Send questions and suggestions for future interviews to [email protected].
Sources & corrections
SRBIJA NEWS identifies sources and updates information when available. If you notice an error or can provide verified local information, please contact the newsroom.
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