Montenegro, 2016 — dissident coup conspiracy
Event Summary
This entry is coded 16 October 2016, corresponding to the alleged 2016 Montenegrin coup plot, which prosecutors said was planned for that day, the date of the parliamentary election. On the eve of the vote, around 20 Serbian and Montenegrin citizens, including the former head of the Serbian Gendarmery Bratislav Dikic, were arrested. The government alleged the plotters had conspired to seize parliament on election day, assassinate then-Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, and install a pro-Russian government in order to halt Montenegro's accession to NATO, a move Russia strongly opposed.
Prosecutors said two Russian military intelligence officers coordinated the operation from neighbouring Serbia, and in June 2017 the High Court in Podgorica indicted fourteen people, including the two Russians and two pro-Russia Montenegrin opposition leaders, Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic. Russia denied any involvement, calling the allegations absurd, and the opposition said the accusations were a pre-election political move. In May 2019 the court convicted thirteen people, but in February 2021 the appellate court annulled the verdict, and the acquittals were later upheld.
The 16 October 2016 coding matches the planned coup date.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Sources
Editorial Note
Cross-Reference
Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
- Cline Center id
34110162016
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Djukanovic survived the alleged plot; Montenegro joined NATO in June 2017.
Baseline coding: Plot discovered and disrupted before execution. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Baseline Source-Document Entries
The Christian Science Monitor
Asia News Monitor
New York Times
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →