Prepared by: Festim Rizanaj
Over the past week, fake news has dominated as the main form of informational disorder in traditional and digital media, according to monitoring data.
Over the past week, fake news has spread mainly on the Facebook platform, through pages and accounts that use potentially credible names to spread unverified claims. One of them was the page “Kosova e Re”, which claimed that Fatmir Limaj had requested five ministries and the post of deputy prime minister from the Vetëvendosje Movement in exchange for a coalition agreement. Verification showed that there is no credible source supporting such a claim. Another fake news came from the account “Lajme nga Bota”, which published an alleged statement by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan regarding the construction of bridges in northern Kosovo. This claim also resulted without any factual basis or official source to support it. Both cases are clear examples of the spread of false information with a potential impact on public opinion and political narratives.
An unverified content distributed in media outlets such as RTK, TëVë1, Paparaci.com and Kosova.info was based on the statement of Vice-Rector Majlinda Gjelaj, who said that for 5,723 places at UP, only 3,398 students had applied, and in some branches only 3–4 applicants. But official data showed that applications were higher: 6,563 at the bachelor's level and over 2,000 at the master's level, while in the respective branches there were many more applicants. After the UP's reaction, some media outlets corrected the information.
The media outlet “TV Arbëria” published an article with a clickbait headline, suggesting that former MP Hisen Berisha had uncovered an imminent Serbian plan to attack Kosovo. However, the content shows that his statement refers to an event in 2019/2020, when Rrustem Berisha was the Minister of Defense. The headline creates the impression of a current danger, misinterpreting the time context of the statement.
A phishing attempt has been spread through SMS messages claiming to be from the Kosovo Post, informing citizens about a package that cannot be delivered due to a data mismatch. The message contains a fraudulent link and comes from a UK number (+44), unrelated to the Kosovo Post. The latter has denied any involvement and has warned citizens not to provide personal data.
MP Avdullah Hoti's statement on the increase in imports from Serbia in the period January-May 2025, published on July 16, 2025 in the media "Nacionale.com" and "Fokusi.info", became the subject of incorrect reporting. The articles reported an increase of 217%, based on an initial post by Hoti on Facebook, while he later corrected the figure to 117%. This led to the spread of incorrect information about imports from Serbia.
Fake news
Last week, a Facebook page called “Kosova e Re” claimed that Fatmir Limaj had requested five ministries and the post of deputy prime minister from LVV in exchange for a coalition agreement. During verification, it was found that there is no public statement or reliable source confirming that Limaj had made such a request. This claim is untrue and inaccurate (see here).
A claim published on Facebook by the account named “Lajme nga Bota” was that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had stated that Kosovo has the right to build bridges in the north without permission from anyone, that the construction of the two bridges will be completed in September and that they will be inaugurated together with Turkish authorities. It is also said that the EU can help, but not interfere with Kosovo’s legal rights. There is no official or reliable source confirming that Turkish Minister Hakan Fidan has made such statements. A search of the Turkish news agency “Anadolu”, the website of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Turkish Embassy in Pristina and Google did not result in any such statement (see here).
Unverified content
Vice-Rector Majlinda Gjelaj at the University of Prishtina claimed that in the competition for new students at this educational institution, only 3,398 young people applied for 5,723 places. It was also claimed that only 3 to 4 students applied for the branches of Physics, Chemistry and Biology. According to official UP data: At the bachelor's level, 6,563 candidates applied, at the master's level 2,025 candidates. While for the specific programs there were: Physics – 20 applications, Chemistry – 13 applications and Biology – 35 applications. The low figures initially reported by Vice-Rector Majlinda Gjelaj and published in media such as RTK, TëVë1, Paparaci.com, Kosova.info, etc., were incorrect. Some articles and titles were changed after the reaction from UP (see here).
Clickbait
The title of an article published by the media outlet “TV Arbëria” claimed that former MP Hisen Berisha stated that he was a witness when the KFOR commander informed the Minister of Defense that Serbia had planned an attack on Kosovo. The event described by Hisen Berisha, according to the content of the video and his statement in the content, occurred in 2019/2020, when Rrustem Berisha was the Minister of Defense. So, it is not a current development, even though the title of the article suggests such a thing (see here).
Lies
Citizens of Kosovo have been sent a text message (SMS) purporting to come from Kosovo Post, informing them that a package is in the warehouse but cannot be delivered due to a data mismatch, and are asked to click on a link to fill in the address. This message is a phishing scam. The message was sent from a UK number (+44), which is not affiliated with Kosovo Post. The link is shortened and leads to a fake page, which is either not functional or disguises the real purpose, the theft of personal data. Kosovo Post has publicly confirmed that it is not involved in this message and has warned citizens not to share personal data (see here).
error
LDK MP Avdullah Hoti has stated that imports from Serbia have increased by over 200% in the period January-May 2025, compared to the same period in 2024. This claim was published in articles by “Nacionale.com” and “Fokusi.info” on July 16, 2025. The 217% percentage cited in the articles is incorrect. Initially, in a Facebook post, Hoti mentioned an increase of 217%, but later corrected it to 117%. This means that the media reported the initial incorrect version, without updating the content with the correct percentage that Hoti himself corrected (see here).