New report exposes pro-Kremlin disinformation networks in the Balkans
In a new report published this week, the independent, cross-border journalism network VSquare examined the pro-Kremlin, disinformation, conspiracy and alt-right websites in 13 countries (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, and Germany) to show how these are technically interlinked and how they operate in Central and Eastern Europe.
The research shows how Balkan websites, as well as those of the US Alt-right, are amplifying Russian disinformation since the invasion of Ukraine. In Serbia, for example, Russia Today opened its Belgrade newsroom and started the Serbian language website in November 2022, with TV channel launch plans by 2024. However, the report goes on to highlight how much of the Russian disinformation in the Serbian press is “homemade” in the mainstream, pro-Vucic media. Bulgaria is cited as arguably the “most vulnerable NATO and EU country to Russian disinformation and propaganda”. In Croatia, the report found that new sites spreading disinformation were posing as legitimate media outlets without being registered to Croatia’s media regulator.
The widespread issues spreading across Europe uncovered in the report show the importance of cross-border collaboration to stop the spread of authoritarianism. Read the full report here.
