EU president denounces Russian influence campaigns targeting Western Balkans

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen criticized Russia’s use of disinformation to destabilize democracies in the Western Balkans region.

Speaking at a press conference in Kosovo this weekend — part of her trip to aspiring European Union member states in the region — von der Leyen emphasized that the EU is working daily to debunk misinformation and expose Russian propaganda “for the benefit of the whole region.”

“We see that Russia is trying to spread its false narrative without success, and that it is possible for us to stand up with the truth, with transparency, and with very clear messaging,” she added.

The Western Balkans — comprising Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia — are vulnerable to Russian influence operations, according to previous research.

In September, journalists at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty uncovered a pro-Kremlin disinformation network targeting the region with artificially generated news articles, often based on content from Russian media outlets banned by the EU.

Ukrainian researchers recently found that Russia uses propaganda to hinder the integration of Western Balkan countries into the EU. The Kremlin-linked threat actors primarily rely on Telegram channels to spread their narratives, the report said.

Kosovo, in particular, suffers from Russian disinformation due to insufficient sustainable funding, limited human resources, unclear editorial policies, and external influences, according to a report by the local investigative nonprofit BIRN.

“The risks of disinformation have become even clearer in the wake of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine,” the researchers said.