This periodical media monitoring report, covering the second quarter of 2023, is produced within the framework of the Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub project, which identifies, analyses, and responds to disinformation related to foreign malign influences in the region. It documents and responds to disinformation instances, narratives, and trends aimed at disrupting democratic development. Media monitoring aimed to map out and understand the flow of disinformation and associated propaganda related to foreign malign influences is essential to understanding the disinformation ecosystem, leading to the development of an Early Warning Early Action System. It is conducted in synergy with other kinds of research and analytical work, watchdog journalism, and fact-checking, as well as investigative and mainstream journalism aimed at increasing societal resilience to authoritarian efforts.
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From April to June 2023, foreign malign influence operations in the Western Balkans (WB) continued to use disinformation to cause division among countries and within societies, with the aim of reshaping the political landscape in the region and turning the six countries away from the path of Euro-Atlantic integration. The digital sphere was the predominant area for these operations, with online media and social networks expanding on the already established influence mechanisms present in some — but not all — countries in the region, including through television and print media (especially in Serbia).
During this period, disinformation narratives related to Russian aggression in Ukraine continued to proliferate in the region, with a focus on two key developments from the Ukrainian frontlines: the Moscow drone attack and the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam. The main narratives claimed that “Ukraine is responsible for the attacks.” There was also a variation of the same narrative coming directly from the Kremlin, claiming that “The United States was undoubtedly behind the incident.”
Local populist and anti-democratic forces continued using disinformation to decrease trust in democratic governance and the international order, while promoting authoritarianism as an alternative to liberal democracy through anti-Western narratives. Efforts to increase Euroscepticism intensified by including influential religious institutions, with Orthodox Church officials in Serbia and North Macedonia using Easter sermons to enflame ‘cultural wars’ against gender equality and LGBT communities, following visits by high officials of the Russian Orthodox Church in previous months.
