Vulin ordered an elite military unit known as the 63rd parachute brigade to intervene in Niš because of a lack of police forces in the town. The military refused to intervene, stating that it was not their duty to intervene in such events, that the military enjoys respect and trust among the population, and that their duties are explained in the constitution. A new video emerged after the protests showing a police officer setting a garbage bin on fire. Involvement of the armed forces On 9 July 2020, several news outlets reported that the Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin had ordered the 63rd Parachute Brigade to clear peaceful protesters in Niš, but the Brigade commander has refused to carry on the order. The claim was denied by the Serbian Ministry of Defence saying that would go against the Constitution of Serbia as well as the existing Military Code. Responses and reactions Aleksandar Vučić After the first protests on 7 July, the president said that in the protests "there was not only criminal factors but also foreign factors as well". He also called these protests "the worst political violence in the past few years". Vučić accused Russia of organising the protests. The same day he declined a meeting with Russian ambassador Bocan-Harchenko. Many government critics have suggested that this was an alibi for the west for not making progress in the Kosovo negotiations. Later the Russian ambassador responded to the accusations of intervention on Twitter, mainly by CEAS (The Center of Euro-Atlantic Studies), stating that their accusations were absurd, accused them of Russophobia, and also criticising domestic media outlets for spreading such a statement. On 8 July, he called the protests an act of terrorism, he also said the protests "don't bother him at all". On 10 July, Vučić blamed Croatia for the riots. Vučić has blamed the spike of COVID-19 on the protesters and has dissed them as "fascists, right-wingers, conspiracy theorists and flat-Earthers" and etcetera. Aleksandar Vulin The Serbian Minister of Defence, Aleksandar Vulin said that a special war is waged against the Army and the country by fake news. He also called protests on 8 July "an attempt to start a civil war" United States The United States Embassy in Serbia had issued a press release stating that they are concerned with violence against the police officers, as well as targeted police brutality against peaceful protesters. They further