Russia's security council secretary Nikolai Patrushev delivers his speech at the IX Moscow conference on international security in Moscow, Russia, on June 24, 2021. With all eyes on a possible Russia invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is sending his top security envoy to the Balkans where Moscow has been trying to maintain influence mainly through its ally Serbia. Serbia’s pro-government media said Monday Nikolai Patrushev, the powerful secretary of the Kremlin’s Security Council, is due to arrive in Belgrade next week for talks with Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)
