Prepared by: Festim Rizanaj
Fake news is what has dominated over the past week in terms of misinformation published in the media, dubious portals, and social media pages and accounts.
Fake news has been published on various platforms such as Facebook and TikTok, addressing topics that often aim to manipulate public opinion. One case involves the claim that the US ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, criticized AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj, through a fabricated statement, published on December 21 on Facebook by the account “Myzafer Muharremi”. Another case is the claim that the new leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has declared his Albanian origin from Kosovo, published on December 19 on TikTok by the account “pograddeccii”. Also, in a Facebook post on December 23, it was claimed that the CEC had not certified the “Lista për Familjen” coalition for the 2025 elections, which turned out to be untrue. In another case, on December 22, content was spread on TikTok claiming that Albin Kurti had decided to distribute 100 euros to every citizen for the end-of-year holidays, a decision that has no factual support. These cases mainly include political topics, claims of national origin, electoral manipulation and social measures, highlighting the importance of verifying sources to combat disinformation.
The fake news/hoax in this case was published on TikTok by the account “toke.ilirodardane”, including unfounded claims regarding the actions of political entities and institutions of Kosovo. On December 22, an image was published claiming that the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) had sent the latest Government decision on the allocation of 100 euros for children and pensioners to the Constitutional Court, but Hibrid.info’s research revealed that this is not true. Also, on December 24, another similar content claimed that the opposition in Kosovo had warned to send the non-certification of the Serbian List by the CEC to the Constitutional Court. After verification, it turned out that there is no evidence of such an action by the opposition parties. These cases are examples of hoaxes that spread false news to manipulate public opinion.
Recent scams include an SMS from a +44 number claiming that a package has not been delivered and requesting an address update via a fake link that mimics the Kosovo Post. Also, a sponsored Facebook post featuring alleged aid from China for prostate treatment, using the Red Cross logo. After verification, both cases were confirmed as scams aimed at misusing personal information.
Recent disinformation includes inaccurate or manipulated claims about current events. A TikTok post by the account “rejas04” claims that the US has donated seven drones to the Kosovo Police, but Hibrid.info confirmed that this happened last year, although it was not mentioned in the publication. Similarly, another TikTok post by “fokusi.dites” claims that Serbian gendarmerie was seen in the village of Karaqevë, Kamenica, but the photo used is old and out of context. These cases show the use of false or outdated information to create false perceptions.
Conspiracy theories include unfounded claims intended to create political and ethnic tensions. Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin has stated that the creation of a “Greater Albania” is a European-backed project, calling the joint session of the Kosovo and Albanian parliaments a hostile act against Serbia. However, these claims are not supported by facts and have been dismissed as conspiracy theories. Another claim by Slavisa Vuksanović, a member of a Serbian association, suggests that organ transplants were carried out in the “Yellow House” in Albania during the war in Kosovo, but investigations have so far failed to confirm these claims, rendering them unfounded.
The article by "ntv.al" with the clickbait title "THE SILENT AGREEMENT/ Vučić supports Kurti with the cards of power" was considered clickbait, suggesting an unfounded fact. In the content, it is revealed that it is about the opinion of Baton Haxhiu, but this is not reflected in the title, manipulating readers.
The statement by the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, Hysen Durmishi, that all roads under the responsibility of the Ministry are open after snowfall, was considered a half-truth. While this was repeated in a statement by the Ministry on December 24, Hibrid.info discovered that one of the roads maintained by the Ministry is partially passable.
Fake news/Hoax
An image has been published with a caption claiming that the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) has sent the latest decision of the Kosovo Government to allocate 100 euros to children and pensioners in Kosovo to the Constitutional Court. The content was published (December 22) on TikTok by an account named “toke.ilirodardane”. Hibrid.info has found that so far the LDK has not sent the decision in question to the relevant institution for review. (here)
An image has been published with the caption that claims that the opposition in Kosovo has warned that it will send the non-certification of the Serbian List by the Central Election Commission (CEC) to the Constitutional Court. This content was published (December 24) on TikTok by an account named “toke.ilirodardane”. After research conducted by Hibrid.info, the results so far show that there is no fact or evidence that the opposition parties have sent the decision in question to the Constitutional Court for review. (here)
Fake news
A Facebook photo suggests that the US ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, has criticized the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj. “Political leaders try to burn their rivals, but Ramush burns himself hard, politics and Ramush Haradinaj are two diametrically opposed worlds,” is the caption on a photo of Hovenier. The post was made by an account named Myzafer Muharremi on December 21. After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it turns out that Ambassador Hovenier did not make such a statement. (here)
Content has been published claiming that Ahmed al-Sharaa, the new leader of Syria, has stated that his grandfather is of Albanian descent and comes from Kosovo. The alleged content was published on December 19 on TikTok by the account named “pograddeccii”. Hibrid.info’s research does not confirm the claim in question. (here)
The Central Election Commission (CEC) is alleged to have not certified the “Lista për Familjë” coalition for participation in the February 9, 2025 elections. This claim was published (December 23) in the form of a Facebook post by an account named “Lule Gjeli”. After online research conducted by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that this claim is false. (here)
“100 euros for every citizen of Kosovo, Albin Kurti makes a decision for the end-of-year holidays,” reads a post published on TikTok. This content was published on December 22 on TikTok by the account “fbi13039”. Such a decision has not been found announced by Kurti or by any state institution, nor by any credible source of information. (here)
Lies
A message (SMS) has been sent to the phones of Kosovo citizens which reads "Your package was not successfully delivered due to unclear address information.". Through this SMS, it is claimed that in order to ensure that this package is delivered without problems, a clickable link has been published, where the address information can be updated. After checking the facts carried out by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that the number that sent this message to the phone has the prefix +44, which belongs to the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, the link presented in the SMS is suspicious and falsely presents itself as the official website of the Kosovo Post. (here)
An image of packages bearing the logo of the Red Cross, an international association, has been published, with an inscription claiming that it is about the arrival of aid from Chinese partners for men suffering from prostate cancer in Kosovo. The inscription also claims that all those who apply will receive discounts for the treatment of this disease. This content was published (December 25) through a sponsored post on Facebook, by a page called “Physically jdl6”. The image through which the claim is presented, when clicked, opens an external link. Hibrid.info has found that after clicking on the image, the opened link does not display any data. (here)
disinformation
An image has been published with the caption that claims that the United States of America (US) has donated seven drones to the Kosovo Police. This content was published on TikTok by the account named “rejas04”. Hibrid.info has found that the content is accurate, but that it informs about an event that occurred last year, which is not disclosed in this publication. (here)
An image showing police forces has been published, with the caption claiming that Serbian gendarmerie were seen moving in the village of Karaqevë, Kamenica municipality. The photo was posted on TikTok on December 25 by an account named “fokusi.dites”. Hibrid.info has found that the current claim is presented using an old photo. (here)
Conspiracy theory
Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vullin, has stated that the creation of a “Greater Albania” is a project supported by Europe, describing it as an act against Serbia and the interests of the Serbian people, while emphasizing that the recent joint assembly of Kosovo and Albania was a hostile act against Serbia and the Serbian community. Vullin made these claims after the statement of the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, regarding the “freezing of talks with Serbia”, a statement that was made during the joint session of the parliaments of the two countries on December 20, 2024 in Pristina. This statement was also published in several Serbian-language media. However, Vullin’s claims are not based on facts and are considered a “conspiracy theory”, with no clear basis in reality. (here)
It has been claimed that it has been proven that during the war in Kosovo, organ transplants of Serbian citizens were carried out in the “Yellow House” in Albania. The claim was made by Slavisa Vuksanović, a member of the Executive Board of the “Association of Families of the Kidnapped and Disappeared from Kosovo” in a statement to the Serbian-language media outlet “Kosovo-online.com” in an article published on December 26. The claims of Slavisa Vuksanović from the “Association of Families of the Kidnapped and Disappeared from Kosovo” that it has been proven that there was organ trafficking of Serbs in the “Yellow House” in Albania are not based on facts. Investigations to date have not proven such a thing. (here)
Clickbait
An article titled “THE SILENT AGREEMENT/ Vučić supports Kurti with the cards of power” has been published. Accompanied by a photograph showing the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, next to the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, the publication was made by the Albanian-language medium “ntv.al” on December 26. After reading the content, it is understood that it is an opinion of Baton Haxhiu, which is not presented as such in the title, but as a fait accompli. (here)
Half-true statement
According to Hysen Durmishi, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, after the snowfall in Kosovo, all roads under the responsibility of the ministry are open. This was emphasized (December 25) in a status published on his Facebook account. Also, in a statement published on December 24, on the MI website, the passability of all roads is emphasized. Hibrid.info has found that one of the roads maintained by the Ministry of Infrastructure is partially passable. (here)