The joint military drill of Serbian and Russian forces some fifty kilometers from the Croatian border is in the news. Heralded as a one-day anti-terrorist exercise, yesterday’s drill involved around two-hundred Russian troops with armored vehicles and transport aircraft. Heavy cannon, guided missiles, helicopters, and drones were used. It was the first such joint drill of Serbian and Russian forces since the end of its state union with Montenegro in 2006. The drill follows the recent visit of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president. Patriarch Kiril, the head of the Russian Orthodox church, also visited Belgrade yesterday. He got an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Belgrade, and he vowed support for what he called “the Serbs’ just stance on Kosovo.” As many commentators have noted, the drill and the visits illustrate the balancing act Belgrade now faces with respect to the European Union and Russia, which are currently at loggerheads. The way things look at the moment, Serbia is likely to get stuck between the two. The precarious balancing act will surely be worth watching. And for a long, long time.