The Russian media outlets Russia Today Balkan and Sputnik in their Serbian language service published an article yesterday (May 24) with the statement of the spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, regarding the joint military exercise called "Defender Europe 2023" with one of the host countries, Kosovo.
Zakharova, through this statement, claims that the development of this military exercise in Kosovo constitutes a provocation against the Serbs, but also a diversion against the fundamental bases for the settlement of the Kosovo issue.
After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it was found that the military exercises called "Defender Europe" with one of the hosts, Kosovo, are not related to Kosovo Serbs.
Links to articles published in Russia Today Balkan and Sputnik:
https://lat.rt.rs/news/32659-zaharova-rusija-moskva-poseta-milorad-dodik-putin/
Excerpts from articles published in Russia Today Balkan and Sputnik:
NATO military exercises in Kosovo are an anti-Serbian provocation and a diversion against the normalization of the situation in the region, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
She said that the US and its allies, under the guise of false claims of strengthening regional security, are deliberately destabilizing that part of Europe, deepening the lines of division and increasingly nervousizing citizens, given the threats posed from abroad.
The claim that organizing these military exercises on the territory of Kosovo sends a bad signal to Kosovo Serbs, which could be considered a provocation against them, is a claim not based on facts.
Defender Europe is a joint multinational exercise led by U.S. European Command, designed to build readiness and interoperability among U.S. and NATO allies and partners. It is defensive in nature and focuses on deterring aggression. (here)
This military exercise is multinational, with partners and allies from the Western Balkans also participating. “Defender Europe 2023” is hosted by Albania and Kosovo and involves 24 military personnel from the armed forces of 25 NATO countries and partner countries of the United States of America, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia. (here, here)
So, the "Defender Europe 2023" military exercises are not related to the security threat to the Kosovo Serb community, as claimed, but these exercises are carried out within the framework of the US interaction with NATO and its partners and allies to maintain peace on the European continent.
Analyze:
The facts show that the military exercise "Defender Europe 2023" led by the US and NATO and with the participation of partner and allied states, as well as with Kosovo as the host country and the participation of the KSF, is carried out within the framework of protecting the European continent from aggression and ensuring peace on this continent.
This military exercise is not organized with the idea of provoking Kosovo Serbs, as Zakharova claims.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info assesses these claims as "manipulation of facts".
Rating:
The evaluation as "Manipulation of facts" is given to those media reports that use facts known to be correct, but interpret them in a distorted way. These reports typically use inaccurate information to draw inaccurate conclusions or claims, thereby misdirecting consumers' conclusions of media content in relation to the actual meaning of the facts presented.