Kosovo Observer: Russian Diplomatic Warfare and Media Disinformation – is a quarterly report that analyses public statements and publications of the Russian foreign policy establishment and the features of the news containing disinformation and misinformation targeting Kosovo, published by Russian media in English and Serbian Language
Kosovo’s shortcomings when researching on radicalisation and violent extremism A new report suggests that more research on drivers for radicalisation at different levels should be done for a better understanding of the phenomenon It’s been produced by the Kosovo Institute for Policy Research and Development in the framework of the international CONNEKT research project
The disinformation generated during February 2020 by the Russian Foreign Ministry clearly aims at presenting an obscure picture of the position of the Serbian Community and of inter-ethnic situation in Kosovo. This is done in order to display Kosovo as a state that oppresses minority communities and with high potential for eruption of ethnic violence, as well as to undermine the statehood of, and the support of the West to, Kosovo. The disinformation detected in this period will be discussed and deconstructed in the following section.
The aim of the disinformation generated during the February 2020 by the preselected Serbian media in relation to Kosovo indicates that it is focused on denying war crimes committed by Serbian armed forces during the 1998-1999 conflict, on miscalculating the number of Serbian refugees who left Kosovo after the war, discrediting the leadership and security institutions of Kosovo, as well as the provided Western assistance, and projecting Kosovo and Montenegro as rogue states.
The disinformation generated during the January 2020 by the preselected Russian media and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in relation to Kosovo, indicate its focus on undermining the statehood of Kosovo, and the support of Western countries in its democratic state building. This is done by presenting Kosovo as a state creature which was created through a “genocide” against its Serbian population supported by Western countries, by the denial of war crimes committed by Serbia in Kosovo, by making improper comparisons of Kosovo’s statehood with the annexation of Crimea by Russia, and by presenting it as a threat to the security to regional security.