Overwhelming majority of Russian officials - both government and deputies - take a strict pro-Serbian position. Needless to say that Russian people support that view quite sincerely. The reasons are mostly based on the "same religion" ground: orthodox church must defend its "slavic brothers". Thanks to some extreme parties and their leaders (like Zhirinovskij) UN and NATO involvement is seeing as an "international imperialism" intention to re-divide the zones of influence in the Eastern Europe and to establish a new stronghold opposing Russia. Though those officials who possess at least some common-reason abilities don't share that extreme position - anyway they are not brave enough to declare it openly. The idea of the International Tribunal for the crimes committed in former Jugoslavia is commonly interpreted as a threat for Slavic peoples because most of the UN documents on the committed crimes concern Serbian side. Moreover - establishment of such a body looks like a new prove of the international community interest in the matter. Very few persons can support it openly. If an issue of Tribunal financing will be discussed in the Parliament - there is practically no hope for a positive decision.
