Serbia

Serbia is a country in southeastern Europe, in the Balkan Mountains. It is inhabited mainly by Serbs, a Slavic ethnic group with an Eastern Orthodox religion. Serbia was conquered by the Ottoman Turks hundreds of years ago, then gained independence in the 1800s. It led the new nation of Yugoslavia and fought on the Allied side during World War I and World War II.

In the 1990s, westerners turned against Serbia, helping the various regions of Yugoslavia to secede in turn and launching vicious air strikes against strategic targets within Serbia. Even Kosovo, a region of Serbia itself, was encouraged to secede and recognized by the United Kingdom, France and the United States. Russia remains one of Serbia's few steadfast allies.