Prepared by: Festim Rizanaj
Fake news and disinformation are what have dominated over the past week in terms of misinformation published in the media, dubious portals, and social media pages and accounts.
A series of fake news stories focused mainly on political and electoral issues have been published on social media, especially on platforms such as TikTok and Facebook. On TikTok, it was claimed that Syria has recognized Kosovo as a state, an information that turns out to be false according to the website of the Kosovo MFA and other credible sources. Also, fabricated polls were distributed that presented popular support for political parties, ranking parties such as PDK, LVV, and LDK, with manipulated percentages. Another false claim was related to Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was supposed to have declared Syria’s withdrawal of recognition of Serbia, a claim that was not supported by credible sources.
The misinformation has been mainly published on social media, including TikTok, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), and the topics covered have included political and security issues. On TikTok, it was claimed that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti held a campaign in North Mitrovica, but after verification it was confirmed that the meeting was in South Mitrovica. Also, a video of a helicopter throwing dust was distributed as if it was from Skopje, while it was actually filmed in Florida, USA. In another case, a video was published on TikTok claiming to be about a curfew in North Macedonia, using old footage from the COVID-19 pandemic, which turned out to be false. On X, a video claimed that KFOR and Kosovo Police were preparing for military operations against Serbs, but the original footage only showed KFOR’s deployment in Mitrovica. Another false claim, also on TikTok, was that patients were being isolated and then executed in Skopje during the pandemic, while the footage was actually from a hospital in Wuhan, China.
Conspiracy theories have been published on the official website of the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, including unfounded claims about ethnic incidents in Kosovo. One case involves the burning of a building in Radevo, which was presented as an ethnically motivated act by Albin Kurti, without providing concrete evidence. Another allegation relates to the desecration of the memorial in Gorazdeće, which the office called part of a political agenda, but which was also not based on facts. These claims have been verified as unfounded by hibrid.info.
A video posted on January 5 on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter) by the account “vukfenix” claimed that a fight between men in London involved Arab immigrants and Albanian drug gangs. However, after verification by hibrid.info, no official information was found to confirm the ethnic identity of the people in the video.
Unverified content was assessed as published on December 23, 2024, by the account “portali_lajmora” on TikTok. This account published a video that claimed to show Albin Kurti and Hashim Thaçi during the Kosovo war. After research, it was confirmed that the video dated from 1997, while the Kosovo war began a year later, making the content untrue.
Clickbait/Disinformation was published in several Albanian media outlets (January 9) incorrectly about a new law in Kosovo that prohibits the import of vehicles manufactured before 2015. Hibrid.info found that this law had been approved and entered into force in 2017, making the news a clear disinformation.
A video published on January 10 on Facebook by the page “Namazi” which claimed to show the fires that had engulfed Los Angeles in the USA was deemed a hoax. After verification, it was discovered that the footage had been generated by Artificial Intelligence and had no connection to the actual fires in Los Angeles.
Fake news
Through a TikTok post, it has been claimed that Syria has recognized Kosovo as a state. “Latest News. Syria recognizes Kosovo as a state, the Embassy of Kosovo in Damascus will be opened very soon,” is the caption that the “pogradeccii” account has put on a photo of the new Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, in the post made on January 4. But based on the list of recognitions on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo, this turns out to be untrue. Such a claim was not found in other credible sources, and there is no such information on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Syria. (here)
An image has been published claiming to be a poll regarding popular support for political parties in Kosovo, ahead of the February 9 parliamentary elections. The content was published on TikTok on January 2, by an account named “newsroomkosovo”. The image shows political parties starting from the party with the most support, in the following order: Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Self-Determination Movement (LVV), Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Coalition for the Family and other parties. ibrid.info has researched using the “Google” search engine, but the results have not shown any recent polls that match the ranking of political parties presented in this alleged poll. (here)
An image is being published claiming to be a poll regarding popular support for political entities in Kosovo, ahead of the February 9 parliamentary elections. The photo with this claim was posted on TikTok on January 6, by an account named “found1k”. The content lists the political parties as follows: Vetëvendosje Movement (LVV): 60%, Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK): 18%, Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK): 15% and Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK): 7%. After research conducted by hibrid.info, no such poll was found to have been published by credible sources. (here)
Three Facebook pages have claimed that the new Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has warned in a statement to the Syrian media of the withdrawal of recognition for Serbia. Hibrid.info has searched for this claim, in Albanian and English, on the online search engine “Google”, but the results have not led to any articles with a credible source. (here)
disinformation
A post claimed that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti held a campaign in North Mitrovica. “North Mitrovica is being protected: Prime Minister Albin Kurti holds a campaign in North Mitrovica, where the Prime Minister’s escort is seen parked on the Ibar Bridge, and a large number of supporters welcomed Prime Minister Kurti,” the description of this post reads. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that the meeting was held at the “Muharrem Qena” Theater, which is located in South Mitrovica. (here)
A video showing a helicopter dropping a powder-like material is being claimed to have been shot in the capital of North Macedonia, Skopje. This content was posted (January 8) on TikTok by the account “joqmacedonia” with the caption “TODAY IN SKOPJE”. After online research by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that this video has been circulating on the internet since at least December 1, 2024 and that it is claimed to have been shot in Florida, USA. (here)
A video material has been published, which includes images of publications by several Albanian-language media outlets on Facebook, claiming a curfew in Macedonia. The content in question was published on December 20 on TikTok by an account named “joqmacedonia”. The claim of a curfew in North Macedonia is incorrect. The video publication attempted to present itself as current by using publications of past developments (during the post-COVID-19 pandemic) in this country. (here)
Through a short video (11 seconds) it is claimed that the footage shows the Kosovo Police with helicopters and a KFOR contingent. The description states that “They are ready to carry out a military operation against the Serbian population”. This content was published on X (former Twitter) in English by the account “Peacemaker” on January 6, 2025. After research conducted by hibrid.info, it has been proven that this claim is false. Hibrid.info has managed to find the authentic video published on the Serbian-language information portal “Alternativa.com”, whose description states “KFOR is located near the bus station in North Mitrovica”. (here)
A video has been released showing a medical team inside a hospital environment. The video is accompanied by a caption claiming that the footage shows the isolation of patients in Skopje, who were then allegedly executed during the pandemic. The content with the above claim was posted on December 31 on TikTok by an account named “joqmacedonia”. Hibrid.info has found that the footage shows the moment of death of a patient in an isolation ward in Wuhan, China. (here)
Conspiracy theory
A Serbian family from the village of Radevë (Graçanicë) had an auxiliary building near their home burned down on January 1, containing corn and agricultural machinery. The Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia reported on its official website on January 2 about this event, claiming that this act was committed with ethnic motives and, according to this office, behind every act of violence against the Serbian people in Kosovo lies an ideology of hatred, the creator and main promoter of which is Albin Kurti. However, this office does not provide any facts that could support the claim made. On the other hand, the owner of this building, when asked by the police if they suspect anyone, stated that none of the family members saw anything. (here)
The Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia has published (January 10) a reaction to what it called the desecration of the memorial in Gorazdeče, dedicated to people killed on the Bistrica River in 2003. This office claims that the desecration of this memorial is a new attempt to intimidate Serbs, calling it a political agenda of the Albin Kurti regime. After a fact-check conducted by hibrid.info, it has been confirmed that this office does not provide any facts to support this claim. (here)
Manipulation of facts / Disinformation
A video has been released showing footage of a fight between several men in London, allegedly between Arab immigrants and Albanian drug cartel thugs. The content with this claim was posted on January 5 on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter), by an account named “vukfenix”. Hibrid.info has found that there is no official information about the ethnic identity of the people seen in the video fighting. (here)
Unverified content
Through a video published on TikTok, it is claimed that there are images of the current Prime Minister Albin Kurti and former President Hashim Thaçi during the Kosovo war. The publication was made by the account "portali_lajmora" on December 23, 2024. While the video is not very clear, the publisher "portali_lajmora" on TikTok has not offered arguments that it is about Kurti. After verifying the facts, it was found that the video was made in 1997, while according to the data the war in Kosovo started a year later. So the video is not from the time of the war. (here)
Clickbait/Disinformation
Several online publications have claimed that a law banning the import of vehicles manufactured before 2015 or older than ten years has been adopted or entered into force in Kosovo. The claim was published (January 9) by several Albanian-language media outlets based in Albania. However, hibrid.info has found that this law was adopted in May 2017 and entered into force in June of that year. (here)
Lies
A video has been published showing images of a fire spreading across an area, with the caption claiming to be about the fires that have engulfed Los Angeles in the United States of America (USA). The content was published (January 10) on Facebook by a page named “Namazi”. Hibrid.info has found that Los Angeles is engulfed by the large spread of fires, but the images shown in the video are generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI). (here)