Choirboy, Gamer, Waiter… Spy? Alleged Serb Provocateur Surfaces in Moscow
BIRN has located one of the alleged ringleaders of a group of Serbs accused of staging stunts in Paris and Berlin to whip up social tensions on behalf of Russia.…
Russian Disinformation Proliferating Online in Kosovo, BIRN Report Warns
At the launch of a report on Russian and Serbian disinformation in Kosovo, speakers said the country's media and institutions are struggling the respond to fake news, which is becoming…
Democracy Digest: ‘Hungary’s Watergate’ as Intelligence Operation Alleged Against Opposition
Elsewhere, Brussels clears way for prosecution of Polish far-right MEP; scandal-tainted Kezmarok mayor accuses Slovak coalition of smear campaign; Czech authorities investigate attack on defence company warehouse as terrorism. KAYNAK:…
Week in Review: Ripples, Currents and Changing Fortunes
Our selection of Balkan Insight Premium stories this week takes stock of a world and a region caught in flux and uncertainty. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
Democracy Digest: Orban Refuses to Budge on EU Loan to Ukraine
Elsewhere, will JD Vance make an appearance in Budapest? Slovakia’s Arts Fund to withdraw funding for independent cultural centres; Polish government and opposition clash over EU carbon market; and Prague…
Hungary’s Election Campaign: From Russia with Love
Evidence of Russian interference in Hungary’s election is growing. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
Poland’s Military Boom Is Running on Borrowed Money – and Borrowed Time
Poland is financing the “strongest land army in Europe” on debt, shrinking personnel and a repayment schedule that collides with the very years NATO expects the threat from Russia to…
Transnistria Feels the Heat as Moldova Pushes Harder for Reintegration
Moldova is tightening screws on breakaway Transnistria – now struggling with an energy crisis – but success in ousting Russian ‘peacekeepers’ from the region will depend in part on the…
On Moldova’s Border with Ukraine, Russian Drones Shatter Residents’ Nerves
With no end to the four-year war in sight, Russian attacks on Ukraine are unsettling the eastern regions of neighbouring Moldova, where locals have repeatedly been disturbed by stray drones…
Russian Despatch: Moscow is Losing Its Energy Grip on the Balkans
In the first of his monthly despatches on Russian-Balkan relations, Maksim Samorukov assesses the impact of the sell-off of Gazprom and Lukoil’s businesses on Moscow’s interests and influence in the…