False content and disinformation have dominated the misinformation ecosystem in the information sphere in and about Kosovo.
Fake content on TikTok claiming an inevitable war in July due to the presence of members of the Russian mercenary group “Wagner” in Kosovo; and the spread of a deadly virus. Fake content on Facebook pages about the Kurti-Rama and Rama-Vuçić reports.
Disinformation mainly from Serbian-language media, claiming that bursts of gunfire were heard in northern Kosovo and tear gas was thrown at children, and that Kurti is smuggling weapons from Ukraine to America's enemies.
Unverified content regarding an earthquake in Kosovo, that gunfire is being heard in the north of Mitrovica, and the timing of the detention order for the police officers kidnapped by Serbian forces.
Error in interpreting Escobar's statements regarding developments in the Western Balkans until 2030; as well as error in the use of the photograph by the presidency in a tweet on Twitter.
Hoax about Tom Cruise's dubbers, with photos generated with artificial intelligence (AI).
Error/unverified content During reporting about the murder that occurred on June 14 in Pristina, they mistakenly posted a photo of another person, claiming that he was the person who was killed.
Unverified content
Several news portals have claimed that there has been an earthquake in Kosovo based on reports from their readers from Kaçanik. After research conducted by hibrid.info on online platforms for reporting on earthquakes, no information has been found about any earthquake in Kosovo in recent days. Also, there has been no report from the Seismological Institute of Kosovo regarding an earthquake that has hit Kosovo in recent days. (here)
The Facebook page “Jepi zje” has published a video claiming that arrests are taking place in northern Mitrovica and gunshots are heard. In this video, a crack is heard, which does not support the claim made by the aforementioned page, as there are no images or other facts that argue that there were gunshots in northern Mitrovica. (here)
Albanian-language online media have published articles claiming that the Serbian Court has ordered 30 days of detention for three Kosovo police officers, who were allegedly kidnapped by Serbian forces in Kosovo. However, after verification of the facts conducted by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that there is still no official decision from the High Court in Kraljevo regarding the duration of the detention for the three Kosovo police officers. So, apart from the announcement on Friday (June 16) that the detention measure was imposed by the preliminary procedure judge at the High Court in Kraljevo, its duration is still unclear. (here)
error
The information portal “Kosova-sot.info” has published an article claiming through the title that the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and US Special Envoy, Gabriel Escobar, has stated that “by 2030 the entire Balkans will have met all the conditions for EU membership”. After the verification of the facts carried out by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that the title of this article is incorrect and does not correspond to the content. The content of the article states that Escobar, in an interview for the Institute for Politics and Economics of Southeast Europe from Belgrade (IPESE), stated that if the United States of America (USA) had a greater role in decision-making, by 2030, the entire Western Balkans would be within the European Union. (here)
The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, has published a tweet on Twitter through which she announced that she will address the European Parliament on Wednesday. In the tweet that the president of the state made on her official Twitter account, despite the fact that she tagged the European Parliament account, she mistakenly placed a photo of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. (here)
Fake news
The account named “kiyameti2024” has published a video material where it is again claimed that a war is inevitable in July due to the presence of members of the Russian mercenary group “Wagner” in Kosovo. However, hibrid.info has proven that such a claim is false because there is no solid evidence on which to base the claim as such. (here)
Several Facebook pages that publish articles and posts with content in Albanian, on June 13 and 14, posted a photo of Kosovo's Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, with the caption "Albin Kurti: Kosovo lives even without Edi Rama, he showed himself to be pro-Serbian towards Kosovo. I had not imagined it". After research conducted through online search engines and social media, hibrid.info has not found such a statement made by the head of the Kosovo government, towards the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama. (here)
Several Facebook pages that publish articles and posts with content in Albanian posted a photo showing the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, shaking hands with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, with the caption “Serbia sincerely thanks Albania for its stance towards Kurti”. After research conducted through online search engines and social media, hibrid.info has not found such a statement made by the Serbian state or its President, Vučić. (here)
The TikTok account “kiyameti2024” has published a video material showing the image of a person, who is claimed to be the deceased American president, John Kennedy. According to the caption in the video material, former President Kennedy lives in good health and is under the protection of the Central Intelligence Agency “CIA”. However, hibrid.info has researched and confirmed that the image shown in the video material belongs to Russell LeeRoy Pickett, an American veteran of the Second World War. (here)
A video has been published by the account named “kiyameti2024” on TikTok, claiming to be about the spread of a new virus. The published video material was taken from a report by the Albanian language media outlet, “Koha Jonë”. However, hibrid.info has researched and found that the video material used to support this claim was published three years ago (2020). (here)
Lies
It was claimed that an image shared on social media showed the "doubles" of the famous actor Tom Cruise. In the photo shared on social media, three people are seen who closely resemble the actor. The facts show that the photo of Tom Cruise's doubles was created with artificial intelligence. In the films of the famous 60-year-old actor, it is said that he does not use doubles. (here)
disinformation
The Serbian language media outlet “Alo.rs” has published an article with the claim in the title that the situation in Mitrovica is tense and gunshots are being heard. The article is based on a video footage showing the arrest of Milun Millenkovic. In this video, the alarm is heard in the north of Mitrovica, the voices of citizens and the sound of cars crashing. (here)
The Serbian-language media outlet “Alo.rs” has published an article claiming that the Kosovo Police special unit, during the arrest of Milun Millenkoviq, fired tear gas. The headline also claims that tear gas was also fired, as it is said, “on children”. No footage or photographs are provided for the claim that tear gas was fired by the Kosovo Police special unit at the time of the arrest of Milun Millenkoviq in northern Mitrovica. In the footage published in the media and social networks, no elements of tear gas are seen at the time of the arrest. (here)
The dubious portal "fakte.buzz" has published an article claiming that the EU and the US have confirmed sanctions against Kosovo following the situation in the north. However, the content does not contain any confirmation of sanctions and even the EU has claimed that a decision was made against Kosovo for measures and not sanctions. (here)
The Serbian language media outlet “Alo.rs” has published an article claiming that Kurti smuggles weapons from Ukraine to America’s enemies. The claim is based on a statement by former US Colonel Douglar Macgregor made during an interview for “Serbian Radio Chicago” and published by the “Serbian American Voters Alliance” (SAVA). Macgregor claims that weapons sent to Ukraine have also been seen in Kosovo. Macgregor’s claim is not based on facts and does not mention Kurti as a weapons smuggler. (here)
Clickbait
The information portal "GazetaBlic.com" has published an article in the title of which it is alleged that lawyer Arianit Koci said that "if the kidnapped police officers are not released, next week I will go to Belgrade and coordinate their defense - for free". However, after verification of the facts carried out by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that the title does not correspond to the content. The content includes Koci's status which he published on his official Facebook account, through which he expressed his willingness to go to Belgrade next week, with the authorization of the Government of Kosovo, and in the capacity of a lawyer to coordinate their defense. (here)
Error/unverified content
Several Albanian-language news portals that reported on the murder that occurred on June 14 in Pristina have mistakenly posted a photo of another person, claiming that he is the person who was killed. That the photo shows the image of another person, who has the same first and last name as the murdered person, was confirmed after the reaction of the family members of the person seen in this image, who contacted hibrid.info, providing clarifications that the person in the photo is alive and is from Albania. While the person killed in Pristina, Blerim Daci, is a citizen of North Macedonia, more precisely from Skopje. (here)