Photo illustration by the Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub 

In the last years, channels have appeared on the Telegram application that spread pro-Serbian and pro-Russian narratives in the Western Balkans. There is no affinity for Russia and Kosovo and no pro-Russian groups have been recorded that have the goal to mobilize Kosovo Albanians. Still, Kosovo continues to be one of the key topics that gathers hundreds and thousands of Serbian members, including those from Kosovo, through pro-Russian channels which incite nationalistic feelings for the return of “Greater Serbia” and the return of the Serbian war in Kosovo.  

Authors: Gentiana Pacarizi and Uran Haxha, Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub 

Consecutive crises in municipalities with Serbian majority in Kosovo since 2021 especially served to activate nationalistic content on these channels. These channels also served as spaces for mobilization for the last blockade with barricades at border crossings of Kosovo with Serbia at the beginning of September.  

Channels that spread content for Kosovo, show their support for one another, by reposting each other’s posts, increasing the visibility of the content. Other than topics surrounding Kosovo, they have similar content for other topics: Russia’s success in the war against Ukraine; “terroristic” actions of Ukraine against Russia; propaganda against NATO, the United States of America (USA), European Union (EU), western countries and Ukraine.  

One research published in June of this year from Detektor pointed out the 23 most popular channels on Telegram in Serbian and Russian language followed by the Western Balkans public. The second channel with the most followers is “Bunt je stanje duha” [Rebellion is a state of mind], which is one of the key topics in their posts.  

Source: Telemetrio, data obtained on September 8, 2024 

According to this research, these channels have noted a huge increase in the number of members after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It seems the invasion of Ukraine was the turning point for the increase and intensifying of the nationalistic feelings for “Greater Serbia.” 

According to Stefan Janjic, professor of journalism in Novi Sad and editor-in-chief of the Serbian fact-checking service “Fake News Tragac,” after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when Russophile circles in Serbia believed President Vladimir Putin will occupy Kyiv in a few days, there was the idea that “positions of geopolitical power are changing” and that the “new era” will enable the return of Kosovo to the borders of Serbia. “Still, even those who propagate this idea do not believe in it, however, it fit in very well with the previous narratives about the new order, with Trump, Putin, Orbán and Le Pen as new leaders.” said Janjic. 

Source: Telemetrio, data obtained on September 8, 2024. 

Almost every channel we have analyzed: “Bunt je stanje duha,” “Koridor,” “Bunker,” “Srpska Sparta-info”—consists of individuals with strong nationalistic tendencies, deep connection to the historical narratives and faith in Serbia’s inherent greatness. 

Many of them are linked to conservative or religious ideologies and see themselves as defenders of their culture and faith against perceived external threats, especially from the West and the neighboring nations.   

Source: Telemetrio, data obtained on September 8, 2024 

Mobilization for “Greater Serbia” 

With over 36.000 posts, around 20 a day, 160 monthly, the channel “BUNT”—“Bunt je stanje duha” [Rebellion is a state of mind] shares pictures, videos and posts about Kosovo, Serbia, Ukraine, Russia and sometimes even about the other Western Balkan countries. 

The narratives are consistent: negating the country of Kosovo, defending the Russian war in Ukraine, mobilization against the West, promoting the Serbian-Russian brotherhood and “Greater Serbia.” As the slogan, which occasionally appears on the channel, says: “It is all Russia, except Kosovo, Kosovo is Serbia.”  

“When the army returns to Kosovo.” Picture obtained from the channel “BUNT.” 

According to the catalog of Telegram channels—Telemetrio, in September, the channel “BUNT” had around 86.500 members, while the posts reached 18.000 views in 24 hours, with 700 people on average reacting to their posts. Moreover, according to Telemetrio, around 916 channels mentioned this channel or republished content from “BUNT.” This is evidence of a much broader network than can be followed at the moment, made up of channels that are interconnected and maintain similar narratives. 

Positioning the channel as a space with no censorship, daily posts about Kosovo revolve around a few key topics: the spiritual connection with Kosovo, which according to them is their link to heaven; the return of the army in both Serbia and Kosovo; and the allegation of the persecution of the Serbian community in Kosovo by “Albanian terrorists.” This channel is becoming especially active around Kosovo when political crises include the area populated by Serbians.  

In an interview for Klix.rs, on the 7th of July this year, a member of the “BUNT” team said “Kosovo and Metohija are our spiritual, cultural and historical cradle and are connected to the sky. In our symbol of “BUNT” the tree joined fingers on the right hand symbolize the Holy Trinity and the desire to preserve and fulfill the Serbian legacy. That is why: “If I forget you Kosovo, may my right hand forget me…” 

A consistent narrative in “BUNT” and in other channels is the return of “Greater Serbia from Zadar [Croatia] to Shkodër [Albania].” In the same interview, the conversation partner says the main motive of the 10 people behind the channel is that “our fathers and grandfathers fought for this country, including all Serbian territories from Zadar to Shkodër… We do not have the right to lose everything.” He mentioned how the majority of their members come from central Serbia, but also a great number come from Kosovo.  

Other than the virtual mobilization for the Kosovo issue, the members of this channel also mobilize for actions in Belgrade and in other countries in the Western Balkans with Serbian population in defense of the Serbian community of Kosovo.  

For example, on the 24th of February of this year, the channel “BUNT” published pictures from the protest organized in Belgrade, supporting the Serbian community in Kosovo. Several dozen people filed past the streets of Belgrade holding pan-maps with different inscriptions related to Kosovo. One inscription read: “We’re not giving up Kosovo,” where the NATO flag was illustrated on the bottom with a red stop line above. The flags being waved showed the map of Kosovo in the colors of the Serbian flag and the Russian flag with the infamous letter “Z,” all while songs about Kosovo were sang in the background.  

Picture from the protest organized in Belgrade for the support of the “people of Kosovo and Metohija.” Pictures are obtained from the channel “BUNT.” 

The “Z” symbol first caught international attention when it began to be written in white across Russian military vehicles during the first weeks and months after the invasion of Ukraine which began in February of 2022. The “Z” symbol continues to symbolize the support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his war. The same symbol was seen in the north of Mitrovica during violent protests in May 2023 in Serb-majority municipalities.  

According to Ramadan Ilazi, expert in the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS), Kosovo has become a meeting place for Russia and right-wing extremists in the EU, who represent xenophobic and racist attitudes.  

“Kosovo’s vulnerability in the region and in relation to the ethno-political radicalization is mainly related to the non-resolution of the conflict between Kosovo and Serbia and the lack of confronting the past, especially in Serbia. We have completely opposite narratives surrounding the past and this situation continues to intensify tensions among society,” said Ilazi. According to him, the normalization of the Kosovo—Serbia relations is of crucial importance for the Euro-Atlantic integrations of Kosovo, but in a bigger picture, and about the fading influence of Russia in the region.  

The slogans of this protest match the graffiti and inscriptions shared on the “BUNT” channel and on other channels, where one of the main topics is Kosovo. Moreover, nationalistic and militant graffiti that appear in Serbia, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina are consistent with slogans used by these channels to incite the nationalistic feelings among their members. This clearly shows how activities of these groups do not remain only in the virtual world of Telegram, but also appear in real life.  

On the 28th of July, the channel “Hrabro za Kosmet!,” published the graffiti “It’s a tough story, but it has to work. From the city of Prizren to the Republic of Serbia.” On the 12th of August, the post shared by “BUNT” and the other channel “Bunker Srb,” also called for similar graffiti to be drawn in all Serbian “countries.” They informed with pictures that so far the graffiti has been drawn in Belgrade, Bjelina, Krushevac, Prijedor, Čačak and Paraćin. On one picture, next to the graffiti, someone is holding a NATO flag on which the prohibition sign is drawn and “Fuck NATO” is written.  

“It’s a tough story, but it has to work. From the city of Prizren to the Republic of Serbia,” graffiti which appeared in Kosovo and in a few other countries in the Balkans. The pictures are obtained from the channel “BUNT.” 

The networking among channels which use Serbian language with pro-Serbian and pro-Russian narratives performed its best in the coordination for “protection of the Serbian community of Kosovo and Metohija,” as well as the organizing of blockades at the border crossings between Kosovo and Serbia on the 6th of September. 

Mobilization for “the protection of the Serbian people” 

 Since the beginning of the year, when the Kosovo government carried out actions in the municipalities with a Serbian majority in Kosovo for the removal of parallel Serbian structures, the ban on the use of the dinar as currency and the opening of Albanian businesses in that part of the north, posts in “BUNT” portray the situation as martial law, where “Albanian terrorists” “occupy” the north, attack the Serbian community and institutions such as hospitals, schools and post offices, with “long weapons.” 

According to Ilazi, the situation in the north of Kosovo is especially vulnerable to these campaigns, which can portray exaggerated events in order to incite violent reactions, either from the Serbians or from the Albanians toward the Serbians.  

“Due to the lack of trust in the security authorities in the Republic of Kosovo in the north and their weak relations to the community, manipulation and the use of social networks as goals for destabilization has become even easier.” said Ilazi. 

While “BUNT” mostly republishes content from the other two channels “Bunker” and “Hodnik” for the daily events happening in the north, the last ones including “Srpska Sparta info,” through pictures, videos and calls for mobilization, serve as a first source for the content about Kosovo. The videos and pictures of municipalities with a majority Serbian population, show they are made from there, which demonstrates the active involvement of Serbian citizens from Kosovo in these channels.  

In the description of the “Bunker” channel, created in March of 2023, it says the focus is on “Current events with the focus of Kosovo and Metohija.” According to Telemetrio, in a year and a half, this channel has gained around 17.000 members, while the posts reach up to 6.000 views in 24 hours. With around 20 posts a day, according to Telemetrio, around 167 channels have mentioned this channel or have republished content from “Bunker.” 

The channel “Srpska Sparta info” also has the same focus of Kosovo. Created in May of 2023, this channel gained close to 14.000 members by September, with the posts reaching up to 4.000 views in 24 hours. Around 122 channels mentioned this channel or republished content from “Srpska Sparta Info.” 

In the meantime, the other channel “Hodnik” relatively smaller than “BUNT” and “Bunker,” created in April of 2023, according to Telemetrio, had just over 7.000 members in September, with around 4.000 views in 24 hours and 10 posts a day. The content on this channel is shared or mentioned by 57 channels. 

The content on “BunkerSrb” and “Hodnik” is similar to that of “BUNT,” with the focus on Kosovo being more prominent. In the last days of August, Kurti’s government took action to close the parallel Serbian municipalities. These channels called it an “occupation” of the north by “Albanian terrorists” and called for the mobilization of the “people of Kosovo and Metohija.” 

When media outlets in Albanian language published on the 31st of August that the Italian Carabinieri were stationed on the bridge of Ibar, which confirmed their presence is part of a drill, and not in relation to the announcement of the opening of the bridge, pictures and videos were shared on these channels that did not mention the part with the drill, but contributed to framing the situation in the north of Kosovo as martial law.  

When businesses owned by Albanians began to open in the north of Kosovo, these channels called for massive boycott by the Serbian community. At the same time, through this channel, they threatened citizens, claiming that if they were to be seen shopping in the “Meridian” market, they will be photographed and punished.  

However, the mobilization and networking of these channels became even more noticeable when at the end of August calls were made to block the border crossings between Kosovo and Serbia.  

On the four channels “BUNT,” “Hodnik,” “Bunker,” and “Serbian Sparta Info,” in the beginning of September, a call for mobilization was published for the closing of the border crossings in Brnjak, Jarinje, Merdare, Končulj and Kula, on the 6th of Septmeber, according to them, until the “final departure of Kurti’s terrorists from the northern part of Kosovo to the south part through Ibar.” The call is organized by the Organization committee for blockades in Serbia, but it cannot be confirmed whether the admins of these channels are part of this committee. 

The announcement says transportation will be provided by Belgrade, Novi Sad, Smederevo, Kragujevac, Niš, Kruševac, Vranje and Raška. The post calls for help for our “brothers and sisters in Kosovo and Metohija.” 

On the “Srpska Sparta Info” channel, on the 3rd of September, it was published that the organizers of the blockade submitted a request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia for the protest to be held on the border crossings with Kosovo. Their initial plan was for the protest to start at 6 p.m. with the protesters changing every 12 hours, where they would be offered a place to sleep in a school close to Merdare, as well as a meal. Through various posts, supporters were called to bring camps, food and anything else they could provide. The call was justified with the “terror” the local Serbian community of Kosovo went through. According to the posts, local Serbian citizens of Kosovo will not take part due to the dangers they might face from the Kosovo police. The protest would be attended by citizens from central Serbia, Montenegro and Republika Srpska.  

On the 4th of September, Rasha Rojevic, President of the so-called Association of Citizens of the District of Kosovska Mitrovica, also called for the blocking of the border crossings. This call was answered by the Kosovo Force, calling to avoid all actions that can cause unnecessary tensions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo called on all citizens of Kosovo who plan to transit throughout the territory of Serbia to avoid the crossings between Kosovo and Serbia due to the announced blockade. 

The blockade begins at 6 p.m. on Friday on the 6th of September. On these channels, videos and photographs were shared from the blocked border crossings, as well as their requests. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo posted about masked individuals who stop and send back cars and trucks. Kosovo closed all border crossings in Jarinje and Brnjak.  

However, the blockade didn’t last long. By the next day, the border crossings were open again. The message spread on all three channels was that the organizers of the blockade decided to leave because the blocking of the border crossings would cause a problem for the workers and students commuting, as well as citizens that had to cross the border with Kosovo for health services. According to the organizers, they set the 1st of October as a deadline for meeting their demands—and if they are not met, on the 1st of October they would organize more radical measures for the blocking of the crossings. 

In the meantime, on the 11th of September, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment for the attack in Banjska against 45 people. The channel “Koridor” on the 13th of September published pictures from the municipalities with a majority Serbian population where pamphlets with threatening messages were posted. There is also a photograph of Milan Radoičić, who organized the attack in Banjska, along with a few members of the group. “Brothers and sisters from Banjska, we are all Milan. You occupiers wake up the savages, we are waiting for you in the north. Commander, just say the word, and we fly like bullets,” read the pamphlet.  

Pamphlets which appeared in the north of Kosovo. Picture obtained from the “Koridor” channel.  

According to Janjic, the spread of these narratives seems to be a complex miscellany of voluntary participation and coordinated efforts. 

“Many Serbian users believe these ideas fit perfectly with their world view and their understanding of international politics, motivating them to actively spread these perspectives,” said Janjic. However, according to him, what is interesting is that the spread of these ideas is not always direct or openly political, since some individuals first joined online groups and channels from evidently apolitical reasons, like asking for advice on natural medicine or discussing cultural topics.  

Still, these platforms serve as portals through which political messages enter in a slow and subtle way. Users that first join for harmless reasons, can gradually be included in and potentially fall under the influence of geopolitical narratives,” says Janjic. 

The anti-western narrative 

Other than the great focus being on the events surrounding Kosovo and the nationalistic call for the return of “Greater Serbia,” these channels also promote anti-western spirit, undermining the values of the EU and the US. Generally, leaders from the region who are pro-western oriented are seen puppets of the western forces, who are portrayed as instigators of the great conspiracy against Serbia and Russia.  

On the 6th of September, when border crossings were expected to be blocked, the government of the United Kingdom advised its citizens to avoid visiting municipalities with a majority Serbian population in the north of Kosovo. The channel “Slovenski Medvedi,” which according to Detektor.ba’s research, was identified as one of the fastest growing pro-Russian channels of the Western Balkans, published a post asking “Are the British preparing something?” and also added that the former Yugoslav intelligence officer Ljuban Karan suggested the western forces may be behind the escalation of the situation in the region, even though the EU and US officially condemned the actions of the Kosovo leadership.  

French President Emmanuel Macron visited Serbia during the last week of August and met with Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić. On the 29th of August, with a picture of Macron portrayed as a clown, “BUNT” published Macron’s statement on how he will insist on the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement and the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities. During this visit the procurement of 12 combat aircraft “Rafaele” was officialized. “BUNT, “commenting on a Twitter post, said buying arms from France is “suicide from a military-political point of view.” According to “BUNT,” NATO and its pawns on the Balkans are “our only true enemy in the case of war.” 

The picture which accompanied the post about Emmanuel Macron. Screenshot from the “BUNT” channel. 

The other channel, “Bunker,” also in a post with this context, reminded its members that on the 30th of August, 1995 the NATO bombing of Republika Srpska began, in which France also participated. Moreover, commenting on a statement by Macron where he calls Serbians “friends,” “BUNT” said France has attacked Serbia and the Serbian people several times. 

“Along with the occupier from NATO, it occupied part of the Serbian territory and recognized it as an independent state. Only recently it was the co-author of the French-German plan for “the normalization of the relations with the so-called Kosovo” and the co-sponsor of the resolution for the “Srebrenica genocide.” “Friends,” read the BunkerSrb post.  

In the same direction, “BUNT” published a picture with Macron’s statement and a picture of the bombing in Serbia in 1999 which says: “Love France as much as it loves you.” 

The picture which accompanied the post about Emmanuel Macron. Screenshot from the “BUNT” channel.  

Meanwhile, commenting on the new EU entry system, which is expected to come into force for the Schengen Area from November, “BUNT” commented:  

”What means—establishing a visa regime for “lower” countries, of course includes Serbia—you Serbs do whatever they tell you, sell the country, tear it apart, enter the “Open Balkan,” accept emigrants and everything else that goes with that, and to enter the countries of the European Union you will be treated the same as emigrants, not to mention entering the EU, this is steel friendship for you and “Serbia’s place is in Europe.”  

According to Janjic, these narratives attract individuals who are disappointed from the long process of the European integration, which seems endless. “They often resonate with people whose life standard is not significantly improved during the transition period, as well as those who still carry painful memories from the NATO bombing of 1999,” said Janjic. 

According to him, in such an environment, which often feels depressing, there is a strong will to find explanations for the current situation.  

“This often leads to accepting the idea that ‘the world hates Serbia’ or that rather, ‘the West hates Serbia.’ As a result of that, many people turn to Russia, considering it an alternative to the western structures. They consider the possibility of joining BRICS and idealize [Vladimir] Putin and Russia, basing their admiration on real and imagined aspects of cooperation and history,” says Janjic. According to him, this tendency is significantly increased by the Serbian authorities, which, although interested in the European funds, often feel obligated to “clean up” after each interaction with the western leaders. They do that by promoting conservative, right-wing or pro-Russian ideas, playing on both sides of the political spectrum.  

Meanwhile, according to Ilazi, one of the goals of the Russian propaganda on the Balkans is to undermine the trust in the western forces by portraying the West as unsuccessful in the efforts for stability and democracy of the Western Balkans. 

“The main goal of Russian propaganda in the Western Balkans is to create divisions in the social consensus for EU and NATO integration, which would undermine support for the West, especially for the United States,” says Ilazi.  

Some of the posts, for example, from “BUNT,” “BunkerSrb,” and “Koridor” portray the role of the international community, including that of the Kosovo Force and the EULEX (European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo), as enablers of the actions of Kurti’s government in the north, in order to establish an Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority population. For example, in the statements by the KFOR and the EULEX, where it says they were not informed about the actions that will be taken, these channels publish photos of the cars of EULEX employees who are with the Kosovo police in the north, in order to deny their statements. Meanwhile, NATO reinforcements of KFOR, especially after the attack in Banjska, are seen as helping to arm “Albanian terorrists” to occupy the north.  

According to Ilazi, Kosovo’s government needs to strengthen the capacities of the Kosovo police and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in relation to cyber security and dealing with disinformation campaigns. However, according to him, in the current situation, the actions of the government in the north create fertile ground for Russian disinformation.  

“However, in the current situation, the actions of the government in the north, which are perceived as actions that harm everyday life of the local people, create fertile ground for Russian disinformation,” says Ilazi. 

This article is prepared in partnership with the regional initiative Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub, implemented by the Metamorphosis Foundation, with the financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The content of the article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of the partners and supporters of the project.