The main center of Russian emigration in Southern Europe became the capital of the young Kingdom of Yugoslavia – Belgrade. Here, during the period between the two world wars, the cultural life of Russian refugees was concentrated. In the early 1920s, a stream of Russian exiles flowed to the Balkans from southern Russia through Constantinople, with between 40,000 and 70,000 people arriving in Yugoslavia. There were several reasons for this mass phenomenon. Russians traditionally enjoyed the love of the people, whom they supported in the struggle for national liberation from centuries-old Turkish rule during the 19th century and later during the First World War – against new conquerors. At the head of the multinational Slavic state formed in 1918 stood the Serbian ruling dynasty of Karađorđević, related by kinship ties to the Romanov house. Assistance to Russian emigrants became an integral part of Yugoslavia’s domestic and foreign policy and was carried out under the slogan of repaying Russia’s historical debt. Yugoslavia, more than half of whose population was of the Orthodox faith (Serbs, Montenegrins, Macedonians), became the most important spiritual center of the Russian diaspora. In 1921, near Belgrade, in Sremski Karlovci, the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad was founded, headed by Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kiev and Galicia. Yugoslavia was also the only country that agreed to accept and accommodate parts of the White Army on its territory. The headquarters of the Tsarist army under General Wrangel was located in Belgrade. Besides the military, a modest part of the intelligentsia arrived in the country, as Russian educational documents were recognized here. There was an objective reason for this. Losses in the two Balkan Wars (1912 and 1913) and the First World War were so great that there was a severe shortage of specialists. The opportunity to find work and provide education for children made this country attractive for residence. According to statistics, 75% of Russians living in Yugoslavia in the 1920s–1930s had secondary and higher education. Moreover, the government allocated scholarships for Russian youth. In Serbia, Russians made up 10% of the creative intelligentsia. Russian emigrants taught in schools, gymnasiums, and universities, worked as doctors and engineers, and were involved in road construction. Belgrade became a major Russian publishing center, whose significance grew in the 1930s as Berlin and Prague curtailed their activities under the threat of fascism. The Russian emigration, as the bearer and guardian of a rich cultural tradition, possessed considerable creative potential, one manifestation of which was literary creativity. During the interwar twenty years, many famous Russian writers visited Belgrade, but none settled there for long. The literature of "Russian Belgrade" is notable for being created by youth who matured outside Russia, whose creative individuality awakened and developed far from their homeland, outside the sphere of their native language. Another feature of this literature is that the creative youth of Belgrade mainly expressed themselves in poetry and short genres. It was difficult for them to make their way, as reputable publications, concerned with commercial success, were reluctant to give unknown authors their pages. "Russian Belgrade" as a historical and cultural phenomenon lasted two decades. It possessed significant creative and cultural potential, which was not fully realized due to the historically short period of time. During and after the Second World War, some Russians moved further to Europe and America, while others assimilated. However, during these years, Russians made a substantial contribution to the culture of Yugoslavia.

Jermaine