Telekom Serbia CEO Vladimir Lucic continued his campaign against the United Media management last Wednesday’s appearance on TV Pink, N1 reports

Lucic said he has the right to defend himself and went on to list reasons why United Media CEO Aleksandra Subotic should be dismissed. He repeated his groundless claims that Subotic is interfering in the editorial policies of United Media outlets and called on BC Partners (the majority owners of UM’s parent company United Group) to appoint “some foreigner” who he claimed would guarantee the independence of those media outlets.

The Telekom CEO confirmed the authenticity of the audio recording of his conversation with United Group CEO Stan Miller which was published by OCCRP. UG confirmed earlier that the recording was authentic. In it, Miller and Lucic discussed the fact that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic expected Subotic’s swift removal as allegedly promised by BC Partners senior official Nikos Stathopoulos to Vucic.

Lucic is now repeating that same demand and exerting public pressure on United Group to meet it.

Lucic also told TV Pink that he “offered to make N1 and Nova S part of the Telekom network”. In actuality, the state-owned telecoms operator removed N1 and Nova S from its offer the day it took over the NettTV Plus and Total TV platforms. “Telekom had all the rights and a valid contract that allowed it to keep broadcasting N1 and Nova, but it decided to remove them, a fact Lucic is now trying to conceal,” United Media said at the time.

Telekom took over both platforms by purchasing NettTV from United Group and Total TV from Yettel, and the N1 and Nova channels were removed immediately after the takeover—despite the fact that there was no request, negotiation issue, or obstacle preventing them from remaining available to viewers in the diaspora and on the Total TV platform.

Following these statements, the European Democratic Party expressed concern over the fact that Telekom Serbia CEO Vladimir Lucic is speaking in public about a change of management in United Media.

“When a company linked to an increasingly autocratic government discusses the future of independent media, there is clear cause for alarm,” the party said in an X post.

“Something worrying has just happened in Serbia. While the owners of United Media – the Luxembourg-based company behind the country’s main independent outlets – remain silent about the future of their media, the CEO of Telekom Srbija, a state-owned competitor with close ties to President Vucic, has publicly spoken about alleged internal plans and leadership changes within United Media,” the X post said.

“Media pluralism cannot depend on behind-the-scenes discussions, pressure, or opacity. Europe stands for free and independent journalism, not for markets distorted by political power. Transparency and editorial freedom are non-negotiable,” it said.

Earlier, the United Media editors released a statement noting:

"For years, Telekom Srbija has engaged in a systematic campaign to undermine and eliminate United Media outlets. United Media published Telekom’s internal strategy document explicitly stating its goal: “shut down all United Media channels.”

In this context, Mr. Lucic’s appearance is not an isolated incident but a continuation of a long-term, state-backed effort to destabilize independent journalism in Serbia.

At a time when editors and news directors in four countries proposed the only viable solution for safeguarding independence, a management buyout, a competing state company publicly commented on our internal initiative while the official owners remain silent. This situation is unprecedented and deeply alarming.

If United Group remains committed to protecting professional and independent journalism, we expect:

– an immediate, public and unequivocal response to these attacks,

– clarification as to why a direct competitor appears to speak on behalf of United Group,

– and answers to the critical questions raised by our editorial teams about the future of these media outlets.

Silence from the ownership structure in this context is not neutral. It creates uncertainty, fuels justified suspicion and strengthens those who are openly working to eliminate independent media in Serbia.

Our journalists, our audiences, and the public in all countries where we operate deserve clear answers-now more than ever," the statement concluded.