The Russian media “Sputnik” and “Russia Today” have a wide influence in the Western Balkans by spreading a negative narrative about NATO and the EU, playing a key role in spreading disinformation to minimize the region’s integration into NATO and EU.

This was part of the research of Hibrid.info, where today they presented the report “Ukraine-Kosovo comparison in Russia’s disinformation narratives”.

The purpose of this report is to identify and analyze the main disinformation narratives of Russia, as well as the actors and goals that promote these aspects of the information disorder, with special emphasis on Kosovo.

The main narrative of Russian disinformation about Kosovo is the contestation of Kosovo’s statehood, where the main target is the Serbian community, who, according to Hybrid, still continue to be informed by the media controlled by Vucic.

Hibrid researcher Festim Rizanaj said that even though Kosovo and Russia do not have diplomatic relations, the Kremlin has always used the Kosovo issue to reinforce its rhetoric against the West and to influence the politics of the region.

“Russia’s interest in the Western Balkans is to keep the region tense, preventing the stabilization and consolidation of the West in this area, especially to limit the influence of the USA and Western countries. The media they use, ‘Sputnik’ and ‘Russia Today’ (RT), have a wide influence in the Western Balkans, spreading negative narratives about NATO and the EU. Although Kosovo and Russia do not have diplomatic relations, the Kremlin has always used the Kosovo issue to reinforce its rhetoric against the West and to influence the politics of the region. Through the veto at the UN, the refusal to recognize Kosovo as an independent state and supporting Serbia in international forums, Russia tries to prevent the integration and international recognition of Kosovo”, said Rizanaj.

Meanwhile, the professor of journalism at the University of Prishtina, Alban Zeneli, said that the main purpose of these narratives continues to be the exclusion of local Serbs in the institutions of Kosovo.

Hibrid.info is a research media, which checks the media for fake news, disinformation, misinformation and more.