12/09/2025
Prishtina, September 12, 2025 — The Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS) has released a new report titled How Disinformation Fuels Ethno-Political Radicalization in Kosovo, examining how coordinated disinformation campaigns deepen ethnic divisions, fuel mistrust, and obstruct reconciliation between communities in Kosovo.
The report, authored by Dr. Ramadan Ilazi, Gentiana Paçarizi, and Pia-Katharina Pallasch, with contributions from Denora Gashi, is part of KCSS’s ongoing efforts to understand and counter malign information flows that threaten democratic resilience and interethnic coexistence in the Republic of Kosovo.
“Disinformation in Kosovo is not a random phenomenon of poor journalism or low media literacy. It is engineered and weaponized, often by external actors but also by domestic political elites, with the aim of dividing communities and undermining trust in institutions,” said Mentor Vrajolli, Executive Director of KCSS. “This report is meant to raise awareness among policymakers, civil society, and the public about the seriousness of this challenge and to promote a coordinated response.”
The research shows that platforms such as Telegram have become hubs for extremist and nationalist narratives, while both Serbian and Albanian-language media are at times complicit in framing events in ways that exacerbate ethnic mistrust. According to the findings, disinformation spikes around politically sensitive incidents, turning local disputes into perceived existential crises.
“Our analysis shows that disinformation thrives on fragile interethnic relations, by exploiting grievances from the un-dealt past and distorting everyday incidents into ethnic provocations. This dynamic is eroding the already fragile social cohesion in Republic of Kosovo and risks fostering ethno-political radicalization in the society,” said Dr. Ramadan Ilazi, Head of Research at KCSS and co-author of the report. Furthermore he noted that “Disinformation is not new and the Kosovar society has long been exposed to campaigns designed to distort facts and polarize opinion. Narratives have targeted sensitive issues such as the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities (ASM) agreement or the border demarcation deal with Montenegro, both framed in ways to erode trust in institutions, democratic norms and Kosovo’s European integration process. More recently, even attacks on Kosovo’s democratic norms by senior public officials have created an enabling environment for malign foreign actors, particularly Russia, to exploit and frame events in ways that serve their interests. This report shows how such dynamics feed ethno-political radicalization and undermine reconciliation efforts and Euro-Atlantic integration of the country” said Dr. Ramadan Ilazi, Head of Research at KCSS and co-author of the report
The report calls for changes in Kosovo’s security strategy, stronger institutional responses, cross-ethnic fact-checking initiatives, and investment in media literacy as part of a long-term strategy to safeguard Kosovo’s democratic and multiethnic character.
The full report is available here How Disinformation Fuels Ethno-Political Radicalization in Kosovo
