During the monitoring period, August 3–9, among the most dominant forms of misinformation was fake news.
During the monitoring period, 3–9 August, the identified fake news was published mainly on Facebook and TikTok, while the topics were mainly related to politics and public figures in Kosovo and Albania. The fake content used fabricated statements, attributed to well-known international and local figures, including Hillary Clinton, Eliot Engel, Edi Rama and Rifat Jashari. In these cases, topics such as Albin Kurti’s government, Hashim Thaçi’s release and his influence on the political scene, protests in Albania and relations with Albanians from Kosovo and North Macedonia, as well as Kosovo–Albania–Serbia relations and issues related to the war and genocide in Kosovo were addressed. Some of this content also used logos of well-known media outlets or images of public figures to give the false claims a believable appearance.
Manipulation of facts were published on Facebook and mainly dealt with political and sensitive topics related to the war in Kosovo. One of the cases was related to the claim of the existence of a mass grave near the Orthodox church in the area of the University of Pristina, presenting as fact an unconfirmed claim about war victims. The other case was related to the dialogue and political developments in Kosovo, where a Facebook page misinterpreted Bedri Hamza's official response to Albin Kurti's invitation.
The cases categorized as hoaxes were published mainly on Facebook and other social networks, mainly dealing with political developments in Kosovo and political figures. The deceptive content included a photoshopped photo of Albin Kurti next to Slobodan Milošević, which aimed to create a false connection between the two figures, as well as a fake front page of the Serbian newspaper “Blic”, generated with artificial intelligence, which claimed to report on the incident in the Kosovo Assembly and the political clash between Time Kadrijaj and Albin Kurti. These cases demonstrate the use of visual manipulation and AI-generated content to create false narratives and influence the perception of political developments.
The cases categorized as clickbait were published on Facebook and through video materials, mainly dealing with security events and political developments. One case related to a shooting in Twin Falls, Idaho, where the title and description did not indicate the location of the event, creating the wrong impression that it could have taken place in Kosovo. The other case related to Hashim Thaçi and the trial in The Hague, where a title presented his release from prison as certain, although the content was only a claim by a guest and not an official announcement.
A disinformation campaign was published mainly on Telegram and Instagram, in Serbian, and addressed sensitive interethnic and political events in northern Kosovo. The case was related to a house fire in Zveçan, where without providing evidence it was claimed that the Albanian family that owned the house had burned down the house itself to blame Serbs and that the event was orchestrated by Albin Kurti. Meanwhile, in the category of unverified content, a video published on Facebook by Indeks Online and Kosova News presented old footage of Serbian fighter jets, originally published in 2021, as a current event over Jarinje.
Manipulation of facts
A Facebook account has published content claiming that a mass grave exists in the foundations of the Orthodox church on the grounds of the University of Pristina and that students killed at the beginning of the war in Kosovo were buried in this facility. However, verification of public sources shows that suspicions about the existence of a possible location where war victims could have been buried in this area have existed before. In 2016, competent institutions conducted excavations in the vicinity of this facility. According to published data, they did not result in the discovery of mortal remains or confirmation of the existence of a mass grave at that location. (here)
The Facebook page "Gazeta Plisi" published content on August 3 with the claim "Bedri Hamza responds to Prime Minister Albin Kurti, rejects the creation of institutions, prefers new elections”. In this post, the page has also attached the official letter, through which the leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Bedri Hamza, has rejected the invitation of the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, for a meeting. After verifying the facts, it was confirmed that the caption of this post does not match the content of the official letter. In the official response to Kurti's invitation, Hamza stated that the PDK will continue to remain in opposition, while he expressed that he expects the parties represented in the Assembly to reach an agreement on the creation of new institutions. (here)
Lies
An image has been published on the social media Facebook that shows former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic giving a speech, while the acting Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, is seen next to him. Verification by hibrid.info confirms that the photo is edited. Analysis through InVID, TinEye and comparison with the original photo published by Spiegel.de show that in the authentic image there is another person next to Milosevic, while Kurti's face was added later through photo manipulation. (here)
An image has been published on several pages and profiles on social networks that depicts an alleged front page of the Serbian newspaper “Blic”, dated August 8, 2026, claiming that this is the newspaper’s front page after the incident that occurred in the Kosovo Parliament. The published front page claims that the newspaper “Blic” reported on the front page about the incident during the session of the Kosovo Parliament, where the deputy of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Time Kadrijaj, threw eggs at the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti. The image has been distributed as an authentic front page of the Serbian newspaper and is used to create the impression that this was the main news published by “Blic” on August 8, 2026. After verification of the facts, the image turns out to have been generated with artificial intelligence. (here)
disinformation
A fire broke out overnight in a house in a neighborhood of Zveçan, owned by the Berisha family, who had reclaimed it after 28 years. However, the Serbian-language Telegram social media channel “Српски Инат – Коридор СБ☧” and the Serbian-language Instagram page “srpski.inat_kim” claimed that the Berisha family decided to burn down their house, in order to then blame the Serbs. These posts also claim that this event was directly orchestrated by the acting Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti. These claims in Serbian do not present any facts or evidence that show that the house was burned down by the Berisha family members themselves and that the event was orchestrated by Kurti. (here)
Clickbait
Several Facebook pages have published an image with the caption “ATTACK ON RESTAURANT IN THE SQUARE! 3 DEAD AND SEVEN INJURED”, accompanied by the description “BREAKING NEWS: Restaurant attack”. The post does not specify the location of the incident, and only after the user clicks on the attached link does it become clear that the article refers to a shooting in the city of Twin Falls, in the state of Idaho in the United States. The reported incident is accurate, but the caption does not indicate where the incident occurred, prompting the curiosity that it may have occurred in Kosovo. (here)
The title of a video material “Sensational news from The Hague: This is when Hashim Thaçi will be released from prison!” presents Thaçi’s release as a certain event. However, the video does not refer to an official announcement, but to a claim made by the guest in an interview. A check of the official sources of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers showed that only the date of the announcement of the verdict in the court case against Thaçi and others has been set for September 16. The court’s decision will determine the end of the process and the consequences for the accused, while Thaçi’s release has not been confirmed by any official source. (here)
Unverified content
A video posted on July 31 by the Facebook pages of Indeks Online and Kosova News, claiming that Serbian fighter jets were flying over Jarinje, turns out to be old. Verification by Hibrid.info, using the InVID tool, showed that the footage was originally posted in 2021. The video was reposted on July 12 by a TikTok account that publishes content in Serbian, and on July 31, it was presented by these pages as a current event. (here)
Fake news
A Facebook post claimed that former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised the governance of acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti through a quote displayed in the image. The content appeared suspicious due to the use of a familiar pattern of fabricated statements that exalt local politicians through international figures. Search tools and checks of official accounts showed that the image had been used before, but did not confirm the claim. (here)
On the social media TikTok, the account “beku7633” published content on July 29 claiming that former US Congressman Eliot Engel had made a statement about former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi. The post states: “Releasing Thaçi would not only save the war and independence, but it would also save the political scene of Kosovo, which has been badly damaged,” claiming that this statement was made by Engel for the media outlet Euronews. Online fact-checking shows that there is no credible evidence that Eliot Engel ever made such a statement. (here)
A content published on Facebook falsely claims that the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, has declared that Albanians from Kosovo and North Macedonia who support the protests in Tirana will be declared personae non grata. The content also uses the logo of Euronews Albania, creating the false impression that the statement was published by this medium. However, verification by hibrid.info showed that there is no evidence that Rama has made such a statement, while Euronews Albania has not published such news or position on its website. (here)
An image has been published on Facebook showing Rifat Jashari, the brother of Adem Jashari, the commander and one of the founders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), while the image claims that he has made a statement regarding the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama. The image reads: “Rifat Jashari: Edi Rama will pay dearly for opening the Serbian consulate in Albanian lands while Kosovo is facing the discovery of mass graves from the Serbian genocide". After verification by hibrid.info, no reliable source was found that would confirm that Rifat Jashari made this statement. (here)