Prepared by: Festim Rizanaj
Disinformation has dominated over the past week, according to monitoring of media and social networks.
Over the past week, disinformation has been spread mainly on Serbian portals, social networks such as Telegram and TikTok, as well as in Albanian media in the diaspora. Their topics have included unfounded claims about the exclusion of citizens with Kosovo passports from purchasing tickets for the Albania-Serbia football match, unfounded accusations against the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, for organizing the protest against the visit of the head of the Specialized Chambers in Pristina, and fake news about the identity of a person arrested for war crimes in Zveçan. A disinformation article by “lecanton.ch” has also been spread that distorts statements about international congratulations to Edi Rama, as well as a fake video on TikTok that allegedly shows the testing of “Bayraktar” drones in Kosovo, when in fact the footage is from Turkey.
The manipulation of facts this week was highlighted through a video published by the Facebook page "The Reis", which claims that French President Emmanuel Macron is hiding a bag of cocaine during a train trip from Poland to Ukraine, along with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Manipulation of facts/Disinformation was assessed for the publication of disinformation content by Serbian media outlets “b92.net” and “kurir.rs”, claiming that Eurovision violated EBU rules by allowing the display of the Kosovo flag during the festival. After verification by hibrid.info, this claim is untrue – the rules only restrict representative artists, not the public, and do not prohibit the waving of flags of non-participating countries by the audience.
A post on the X platform by the account “Serbian Spirit” claiming that on May 9, Albanians damaged the Serbian Orthodox cemetery in Rahovec was deemed a conspiracy theory. However, hibrid.info has verified that this claim is not supported by any facts.
The biased reporting of the media outlet “Nacionale.com”, published on May 13, claims that “VV lied badly about the Prizren-Tetovo road”, based solely on the statement of an official of the “Albanian Alliance” in North Macedonia. According to hibrid.info, this claim is not supported by multiple sources and there is still no clear data on whether the road will be completed within the next four years.
The Serbian narrative, disseminated on May 13 in several Serbian-language media outlets, follows the closure of the parallel water company in North Mitrovica by Kosovo institutions. This action, which was described by the Kosovo authorities as a step towards the rule of law and the provision of legitimate public services, was portrayed by Serbian media and voices as a dangerous and politically motivated act by Prime Minister Albin Kurti. This narrative presents the closure as a threat to the security of the Serb community and as a risk of humanitarian consequences, especially for health institutions and dormitories that depend on water supply.
Manipulation of facts
Video footage has been released showing Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, sitting with Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, and Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, on a train travelling from Poland to Ukraine. The video, which shows Macron quickly pulling a white object from a table with his right hand, then moving it to his left hand and under the table, was posted by a Facebook page called “The Reis”, claiming that it was a bag of cocaine, which the French president is seen hiding. The page “The Reis” posted two videos on May 11, making this claim. The first video captures the moment up close and is short in duration, compared to the second video, which has a wider frame of view. However, hibrid.info has found that the claim is unfounded. (here)
Manipulation of facts/Disinformation
Content is being published claiming that Eurovision organizers have violated their rules by allowing the Kosovo flag to be displayed during the broadcast of the festival, even though it was strictly prohibited under the new EBU rules. Reports with this claim were published today (May 14) by Serbian-language media outlets such as “b92.net” and “kurir.rs”. Hibrid.info has found that there was no ban on the waving of the flag of Kosovo or other non-participating countries. The restrictions on flags apply only to artists representing participating countries, not to the audience in the hall. (here)
disinformation
Serbian media claim that citizens with Kosovo passports have been excluded from purchasing tickets for the Albania-Serbia match, citing fan reactions to RTK, although there is no official confirmation from this media. Tickets will be sold through an online application with official identification, and the selection of buyers will be done randomly. (here)
The Serbian portal “Informer.rs” published an article claiming that the acting Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, had organized former KLA members to prevent the arrival in Pristina of the head of the Specialized Chambers, Ekaterina Trendafilova. However, the facts show that the protest was organized independently by the Organization of KLA War Veterans, with no evidence linking Kurti to this action. (here)
A post on the Telegram social media claims that the person who was arrested today (May 15) on suspicion of war crimes in the municipality of Zveçan is a former member of the Kosovo Police (KP). This claim was published by the Serbian-language Telegram channel “БУНКЕР” (BUNKER). After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that this claim is false. The arrested person is not a former member of the KP. (here)
The article published yesterday (May 15) by the Albanian-language information portal, “lecanton.ch” in Switzerland, on its Facebook page bears the title, “Bern, the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains why they do not congratulate Edi Rama”, while on its website it bears the title, “They have not yet congratulated Edi Rama » / Swiss media asks the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs”. The article claims that Swiss state officials have stated that they will congratulate the Albanian state only after the election of the new government, which remains to be seen in the coming days. However, the article contains several untruths regarding the leaders and countries that have congratulated Prime Minister Rama on his victory. The article’s claim that only the leaders of states that have not recognized Kosovo have congratulated Edi Rama is not true. Hibrid.info has identified congratulations published by leaders of Western countries that have recognized Kosovo, including President Macron, Chancellor Merz, Prime Minister Meloni and President von der Leyen. (here)
A video has been released claiming that the footage shows Bayraktar drones being tested in Kosovo. The video with this claim was posted yesterday (May 15) on TikTok by the account “Kosovo_army1”. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that the claim is false. The video was shot last year in Turkey. (here)
Conspiracy theory
Through a post published on X (formerly Twitter), it is alleged that on Friday (May 9), Albanians damaged and desecrated the Serbian Orthodox cemetery in Rahovec. This claim was published by the account “Serbian Spirit” on May 13. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that this account does not provide any facts that would support the claim that the perpetrators of this act are Albanians. (here)
Biased reporting
An article titled “VV lied badly about the Prizren-Tetovo road” has been published. This content was published (May 13) by the online medium “Nacionale.com”. This claim is based on only one source, which is the statement of an AS official, who stated that the road will not be completed in the next four years. Hibrid.info has found that it is still not clear whether the road will be completed or not within the mentioned period. (here)
Serbian narrative
On May 13, it was announced that the parallel water supply company in North Mitrovica had been closed, a decision that, according to the acting Minister of Economy in Kosovo, Artane Rizvanolli, represents a concrete step towards the rule of law and the functionalization of public services by the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo. However, following the intervention to close the parallel water supply company in North Mitrovica, Serbian narratives have been articulated that portray this action as a dangerous and politically motivated step by Prime Minister Albin Kurti. According to this narrative line, the action undermines the security of the Serb community and risks humanitarian consequences, especially for health institutions and student dormitories that depend on a stable water supply. On the other hand, the acting Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, stated that the closure of the “Ibar” company is a concrete step in the service of the rule of law and the functionalization of public services by the legitimate institutions of the Republic of Kosovo. She emphasized that now services will be provided by the Mitrovica RWC, in accordance with local laws and with higher standards for all citizens, without distinction. (here)