During the monitoring period August 17–22, 2026, fake news dominated the misinformation content identified.
Fake news was published mainly on Facebook and TikTok, with political topics dominating the identified content. On Facebook, fabricated statements attributed to Albin Kurti and Hakan Fidan were distributed, touching on sensitive political issues such as Mitrovica, the Ibar Bridge and Kosovo-Serbia-Turkey relations. A false statement attributed to Arsim Bajrami was also published on Facebook, regarding Kurti's performance in relation to internationals and Serbia. Meanwhile, an unreliable survey on support for political parties in Kosovo was distributed on TikTok, presented as a measurement conducted with 1,500 respondents. Overall, the main topics of fake news during this period are related to domestic politics, political figures, Kosovo-Serbia relations, the Ibar Bridge and political surveys.
The clickbait content was published mainly on Facebook and online portals, focusing mainly on social and political topics. On Facebook, the pages “Prishtina City”, “Trendi.info” and “Gazeta Ditore” published a headline that created the impression that “there are no more 30 euro allowances”, without clarifying that it was about verifying beneficiaries who do not meet the criteria. Meanwhile, the media outlet frontonline.net published an article with the title “Millions for institutional luxury: The Government buys another 104 new cars worth 2.4 million euros”, attributing the purchase only to the Government, although the tender also included other public institutions. In general, the clickbait identified during this period dealt with financial allowances and public spending, using exaggerated or unclear headlines to encourage clicks.
Manipulation of facts has mainly appeared on Facebook, with content related to political developments and international relations. A case published by the page “Interesante” presented as approved by the US Congress a bill on discrimination against Albanians in Serbia, although it had only been advanced by the Foreign Affairs Committee and had not yet been approved by both houses of Congress. Meanwhile, the page “Kosova Report” attributed to Richard Grenell a statement that elections would be held in Kosovo in September after the return of Hashim Thaçi, while verification showed that Grenell had not made such a connection. These cases show that manipulation was carried out mainly through partial or incorrect presentation of political developments, changing the meaning of the original information.
Fake news
“I GAVE KOSOVO BACK TO MY PEOPLE! From the hands of those who had kidnapped it, I took it and gave it back to my People. For this they judge me because I put Mitrovica back on the map, forever, just as the Martyrs ordered us.” This is the caption of an image published on Facebook by accounts with the names “Luan Ibrahim Gacaferi” and “Elez Neziraj”, as well as by the page “Kastriotët e Dardanië – Shqipëria Nëneirore”. The image allegedly shows a statement by Albin Kurti, the acting Prime Minister of Kosovo. There is no evidence that Albin Kurti has made such a public statement. (here)
The “Lajme Nga Bota” Facebook page published content today (August 19), through which it is claimed that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Hakan Fidan, has reacted to the statements of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, regarding the Ibar Bridge. The content attributes to Fidan a long statement, according to which Turkey has “its points in the Balkans” and that one of them is the Republic of Kosovo, which Turkey will “protect at all costs”. No official or reliable source has been found that proves that Fidan made such a statement. (here)
Through a content published on TikTok, it is claimed that a survey conducted with 1,500 respondents, during the period 1–7 August 2026, presents the current popularity of four political entities in Kosovo. However, after verification of the facts carried out by hibrid.info, it turns out that this measurement is not credible. So, it is not known who conducted the measurement and it has not been found published in the media or credible sources. (here)
Through a content published by the page "Kurti 4", it is falsely claimed that Arsim Bajrami has declared that Albin Kurti has restored Kosovo's dignity in relation to the international community and Serbia. After verification conducted online by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that Bajrami did not make this statement. He has even publicly denied it, calling it "manipulation". The same content has been circulating on social media since December 2025 and has been republished by other pages and accounts. (here)
Clickbait
Posts have been published on Facebook, with the image captioned “BREAKING NEWS / No 30 euro allowances”. Content with this caption was published on Monday (August 17) by the pages named “Prishtina City”, “Trendi.info” and on Tuesday (August 18) on the page named “Gazeta Ditore”. The caption does not clarify that it is about the verification of allowance beneficiaries and the possibility of removing those who do not meet the criteria from the scheme. (here)
An article titled “Millions for institutional luxury: The Government buys another 104 new cars worth 2.4 million euros” has been published. The content with this title was published on Thursday (August 20) by the medium “frontonline.net”. The article is even presented with an image, which shows the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, next to an official car. The title incorrectly attributes the purchase of the cars only to the Government, while the tender also includes institutions that are not part of the executive such as agencies, municipalities, inspectorates, SHSKUK and the Prosecutorial Council. (here)
Manipulation of facts
A piece of content is published with the caption “US hits Serbia very hard: Adopts bill against discrimination against Albanians in Serbia”. This content was published on Sunday (August 16) on Facebook, by a page named “Interesante”. The article states that the US Congress’s Foreign Affairs Committee has voted to advance the bill, which requires the preparation of a report on the treatment of Albanians in the Presevo Valley by Serbian authorities. However, the bill has not yet been approved by the US House of Representatives and Senate, so it cannot be considered approved by the US Congress. (here)
The website “Kosova Report” claimed in a post that Richard Grenell said that there would be elections in Kosovo in September after Hashim Thaçi’s return. After verifying the facts, it was confirmed that Grenell did not make such a statement and did not link Thaçi’s return to the elections. The part of the interview where the elections in the fall are mentioned was written by the author of the article, while Grenell spoke separately about the desire for Thaçi to be released and return to Kosovo. (here)