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On YouTube, I heard Can Kosovo survive as an independent state?, which states that Russia prevents Kosovo from joining the United Nations (UN) because Russia backs Serbia, and Serbia doesn't want Kosovo to be independent.
So, what's in it for Russia?
Chechnya and Russia's multi-ethnic confederated nature.
Russia hates the idea of independence movements and especially their success/recognition, given it is itself a confederation of ethnic areas some of which aren't all to happy to be in the confederation. The main parallel is Chechnya - which is also a rebellious Muslim-majority province trying to gain independence.
As such, recognition of Kosovo would create a precedence for such independence movements.
(this might seem a bit hypocritical in contrast to Russia's handling of the situations in Ukraine or Georgia, but this doesn't invalidate the reason above).
It's popular with Russians.
Any support for brother Slavs plays well with Russian populace; especially when Pindostan (Russian's insulting term for USA) is on the opposition's side.
Somewhat related to #2, historical entanglements.
Russia's backing of Serbia isn't exactly a new development - previously, a less-known conflict involving Serbia got Russia involved in certain unpleasantness with a couple of other countries on European continent.
Russia hates the idea of independence movements Huh ? What about Crimea, Dombass, southern Ossetia, Abkhazia, Transsynistria ? Those are all independant movement which are backed up by Russia. It might be "hypocrit", but it's a fact Russia loves independance movements when those are on Russia's side.
The reason is the dominant religion in both countries. Both have predominantly Orthodox Christian population.
The bond between Serbia and Russia today is especially linked towards the war: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93Serbia_relations#1991%E2%80%932000
Here Nato went into what Russia would say was sovereign territory and played an active role in that war against the Serbs.
Anyway, the only thing I would say is "in it for Russia" is to have an ally in Serbia.
Several factors can explain the Russian "backing" of Serbia :
Serbs & Russians are both Orthodox Slavic nations.
Historically, the two nations were both on the same side of WW1 & WW2, and have ties predating those wars.
Serbia and Russia are both at odds with NATO & the USA.
In the current Balkan Game, Serbia is a "client" for Russian influence, through Russia's upholding of UNSC resolution 1244 (10/06/1999) which states that Kosovo & Metohija - currently occupied by NATO in virtue of the Kumanovo Agreement (9/06/1999) putting an official end to the Kosovo War - is a territory of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - and so, nowadays, a province of the Republic of Serbia, successor State of FR.Yugoslavia after the independence of Montenegro in 2006 - and its status cannot be changed without the consent of Belgrade, a consent which hasn't been formally given yet. Hence, as long as the UNSC resolution 1244 remained backed by Russia (and China), Kosovo cannot join the United Nations as a member.
Both countries' governments can be considered as "hybrid regimes", where the rulers are elected through multipartite elections, but the political life is mainly dominated by one party (United Russia for Russia, Serbian Progressive Party for Serbia). Birds of the same feather tend to flock together.
It goes back to the great schism in Christendom of 1054, between the western chuch centred on Rome and the eastern on Constantinople. (See map)
Croatia, where they speak much the same language as Serbia, but using the Latin script rather than the Cyrillic; and where the principal confession is Roman Catholic rather than Greek Orthodox, was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire prior to WW1.
Pan-Slavist tendencies link Russia to support of the Orthodox parts of Eastern Europe. The Serbs were also influential in the eviction of the Turks from Europe.
All these factors have created a bond between Russia and Serbia which has lasted for centuries.
This is the short answer!
