The claims of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, about the involvement of certain Chechen and Circassian groups in the developments in northern Kosovo turned out to be untrue.
This is due to the fact that Chechen opposition figures Akhmed Zakaev and Dzhambulat Suleimanov, names that were mentioned in Vucic's claims, have denied the involvement of "certain Chechen and Circassian" groups in actions in Kosovo, as Serbian President Vucic claimed on August 21.
Vučić said on August 21 in Belgrade that Serbia has information that before the escalation of tensions between Serbia and Kosovo on July 31, a group of Chechens and Circassians, who are opponents of the regime of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, remained in Kosovo, and that their task was to monitor the situation in northern Kosovo and recruit potential soldiers to fight in Ukraine. (see here)
Vucic's claims took up a certain amount of space on news portals and front pages of newspapers close to the government, which hibrid.info has covered. (see here)
The allegations of the involvement of Chechen and Circassian groups in the developments in the north by Serbian President Vučić, despite the fact that they were Serbian intelligence sources, as stated by him, during the conference no relevant additional facts (photographs, documents, etc.) were provided that would prove the claim.
On the other hand, a day after the Serbian president's stated claims, they were denied by the very names mentioned at Sunday's conference in Belgrade.
Akhmed Zakayev, prime minister-in-exile of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, whose independence is not recognized, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's North Caucasus Service that “I have no idea what this is about.” Dzhambulat Suleimanov, who heads the Chechen Committee of the Tolam State Foundation, based in Europe, said the same thing: “I think this is a provocation from Serbia, Russia’s ally.” (see here)
Vučić's claims were also denied by Blerim Vela, the chief of staff of Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, who wrote in a Twitter post that, "no Chechen or Circassian has conspired to kill Serbs in Kosovo" and "no Kosovo citizen has joined the war in Ukraine." (see here)
Analyze:
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, during his address yesterday (August 21) after meeting with some of the Serbian political representatives in Kosovo, stated that on July 31, a group of Chechens and Circassians – opponents of the Chechen leader – Ramazan Kadyrov – had stayed in Kosovo. According to him, citing information from the Serbian secret service, the task of these groups was to eliminate armed Serbs in northern Kosovo, and recruit potential soldiers to fight in Ukraine. Vučić’s claim was widely reported in the Serbian media, mainly those close to the government.
The names mentioned by Vučić, who, according to him, were connected to the Chechen and Circassian groups in the north, denied them, stating that they do not know what they are talking about and that this is a provocation by Serbia.
Likewise, the chief of staff of the Kosovo presidency, Blerim Vela, denied the fact, stating that no Kosovo citizen has joined the war in Ukraine, and no Chechen or Circassian has conspired to kill Serbs in Kosovo.
Reasoning:
A “Disinformation” rating is given to media reporting that contains a “mix” of inaccurate sources or even half-truthful content. This rating will also address reports that have incorrect attributions or headlines that do not reflect the text in terms of information accuracy.