{"id":5760,"date":"2018-02-14T19:46:25","date_gmt":"2018-02-14T19:46:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pan.thatscommunication.de\/agitation-and-propaganda\/"},"modified":"2026-10-19T21:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T21:22:11","slug":"agitation-and-propaganda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pan.thatscommunication.de\/en\/agitation-and-propaganda\/","title":{"rendered":"Agitation and Propaganda"},"content":{"rendered":"

A study by the Kosovo Centre for Security Studies examines Russia’s influence in the country and the region. Old communist contacts play just as significant a role as disinformation. A summary by Rainhard Kloucek <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

That Russia attempts to exert political influence in the Balkans is a well-known fact. More than 100 years ago, this very influence of Moscow was probably one of the many reasons that led to the outbreak of the First World War. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia lacked the strength to intensely pursue its old geopolitical games. However, for the past 17 years, Vladimir Putin has been at the helm of Russia’s power, deliberately and by all possible means attempting to expand Moscow’s sphere of influence in Europe. While Russia’s active intervention in the Caucasus, Central Asia, Georgia, and Ukraine is also documented by military engagement, little is heard about the Eurasian country’s activities in the Balkans \u2013 right on Austria’s doorstep. It is known that Moscow maintains close ties with Belgrade, partly through the Orthodox Church. A \u2013 thankfully failed \u2013 assassination attempt by Russian agents during the election campaign in Montenegro only briefly made headlines. <\/p>\n

A high-ranking politician from a Southeast European country once remarked in an off-the-record discussion about the influence of non-European powers in his region: The influence of Turkey is usually overestimated, while Russia’s influence is completely underestimated. It is precisely this influence of Moscow, specifically in Kosovo, that a study published in September by the renowned “Kosovar Centre for Security Studies” (KCSS) addresses. Russia has not yet recognised Kosovo’s independence. Citizens of Kosovo cannot enter the Russian Federation, but conversely, Kosovo pursues a liberal visa policy, allowing citizens of the Russian Federation to enter Kosovo without further obstacles. As the study points out, a significant increase in entries by Russian citizens was observed last year. <\/p>\n

Weak Point in EU Policy<\/h5>\n

Following the annexation of Crimea (Ukraine has also not yet recognised Kosovo’s independence), the government in Pristina joined the EU’s measures against the regime in Moscow; however, these measures are not coordinated with Pristina by the EU. The study describes this as one of the weaknesses of EU policy, which is partly due to the disunity among EU countries (Kosovo’s independence is still not recognised by all EU countries). Accordingly, Moscow’s policy attempts to gain leverage for its strategic game against Europe by exerting influence in Kosovo. The KCSS study refers to this as a Trojan horse of Moscow within those EU countries that have not recognised Kosovo. In this way, Russia can, among other things, sow disunity within the EU. <\/p>\n

The historically close relationship between Moscow and Belgrade via the Orthodox Church remains intact and active; it persisted even during the communist regimes. This channel also provides a connection to the Serbs in Kosovo. In particular, the financial flows into Orthodox church institutions in Kosovo through these Orthodox connections are unclear. For example, the study points to a direct initiative by Moscow Patriarch Kirill in 2012 to raise money for the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo. The Orthodox monasteries in Kosovo were also one of Moscow’s levers to torpedo Kosovo’s admission to UNESCO \u2013 successfully so far. This admission of Kosovo would, they claim, pose a threat to the Orthodox monasteries. <\/p>\n

Russia’s Disguised Military Base in Serbia<\/h5>\n

According to the study, Serbia, and the Serbian ethnic group in other countries of former Yugoslavia, continue to play a key role in Russian influence in the Balkans. Economic investments, such as in Nafna Industrija Srbije (NIS), but also in Republika Srpska (which maintains its own office in Moscow) in neighbouring Bosnia-Herzegovina, are of strategic importance. In addition, there is the military aspect. Under the guise of a humanitarian centre, Russia operates a military base in the Serbian city of Ni\u0161, located just 100 kilometres from Pristina. The study describes the military base as a direct threat to Kosovo’s security, acting as a counterweight to the presence of KFOR peacekeeping troops in Kosovo. This so-called humanitarian centre serves Moscow as a base for all sorts of activities and intelligence operations throughout the region. <\/p>\n

These activities also include \u2013 as in EU countries \u2013 disinformation campaigns, primarily conducted via the well-known “media” Sputnik and Russia Today. One of the main goals is to discredit Kosovo as a failed state and thus a hotbed of instability in the region. The old communist contacts, which also play a significant role in Moscow’s strategy, should not be underestimated. <\/p>\n

The study recommends that the government of Kosovo pursue close cooperation in foreign policy with the USA and the EU (within the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement), military cooperation with the USA, efforts to dismantle the visa regime against citizens of Kosovo, cooperation with all civil society organisations, especially to raise awareness of Russian disinformation campaigns, but also a dialogue with economic actors to identify potential threats from Russian proxies in Serbian companies in good time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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