An image claiming that former politician Azem Vllasi has declared that Albanians, although "brave and fighters", have not dared to go to northern Kosovo without Albin Kurti for 20 years has been shared on Facebook.
The video was published on Sunday (August 23) by the account "Worldksinfo Wki", and was later republished as "reels” on Monday (August 24) by profiler, Elez Neziraj.
Hibrid.info has sought the original source of the statement, including interviews, articles, videos and other public materials where Azem Vllasi may have made such a statement.
From a search of available sources, no primary or reliable source has been found that proves that Vllasi uttered this sentence.
What is known about this claim?
After research conducted by hibrid.info, it was found that the claim in question is also circulating in the group "Kurti Government 3", as well as in other groups on Facebook. The search shows that this content has been circulating since at least June 2026.
Azem Vllasi has made public statements regarding developments in the north and the policies of Albin Kurti's government. In May 2024, Vllasi stated that the situation in the north was significantly better compared to previous years and expressed support for the actions of Kosovo institutions in that part of the country. (here)
However, such statements do not confirm the quote circulating on Facebook.
Furthermore, no interview or television show has been found in which Vllasi is recorded saying the words: "Brave and warrior yes, but without Albin for 20 years I have not dared to go to the north."
Analyze:
The claim that Azem Vllasi said "Brave and warrior yes, but without Albin for 20 years I would not have dared to go north" has been circulating on Facebook, at least since June 2026.
However, research in open sources has not yet found the interview, show, or original source in which Vllasi made this statement.
There are documented statements by Vllas in support of Kurti's policy in the north, but they do not confirm this specific quote.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info considers this claim to be "fake news".
Reasoning:
The “Fake News” rating is given to informational content that is entirely fabricated or that contains factually incorrect claims or information. Content that is rated as fake news can be defined as having been created and distributed with the intent to misinform the public, i.e., to present a claim that is completely false as fact.