A months-long investigation by KALLXO.com revealed that Kremlin-produced disinformation is being circulated in the Albanian language. The objective of these false narratives is to portray Kosovo as analogous to Ukraine, that is, as countries that lack sovereignty and independence.
The EU’s anti-disinformation task force, through its platform EUvsDisinfo, has identified several Russian narratives linking Kosovo and Ukraine. These include claims about their state independence and accusations of organ trafficking in both countries.
One persistent disinformation narrative involves interethnic tensions in Kosovo, portraying NATO as an aggressor siding with Albanians against Serbs.
Kremlin propaganda further alleges that the Kosovo government plans operations to expel Serbs from the country (see here and here).
These claims have been documented by the EU’s StratCom Task Force and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN. The report is titled The Story of Our Lies. (Vorbulla e Rrenave).
In 2024, fabricated stories surfaced about Kosovo allegedly arming itself to wage war against Serbia (here and here). Other false reports claimed that Prime Minister Albin Kurti was threatening international actors and ‘pursuing’ a campaign against Kosovo’s Serb community. (here, here and here)
The organ trafficking allegations
One of the most prominent Kremlin-backed disinformation campaigns against Kosovo revolves around alleged organ trafficking by the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA.
These claims trace back to the end of the Kosovo War and were popularised by Swiss senator Dick Marty’s 2010 report. The allegations culminated in the creation of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in 2015, tasked with investigating war crimes allegedly committed by KLA members.
However, American prosecutor Clint Williamson, who led the investigations, confirmed in 2014 that there is no evidence supporting the organ trafficking claims.
Despite the lack of proof, the narrative persists. For example, in September 2024, the Serbian news site Serbian Times published an article titled, “Bloody Business to the Peak: Organ Trafficking in Africa Reaches Epidemic Levels, Everyone Silent Like with the Yellow House.”
Although the article focused on organ trafficking in Africa, Kosovo, and the so-called “Yellow House” appeared prominently in the title, perpetuating disinformation.
These narratives are not new, as in 2019, Sputnik reported that internationals had allegedly assisted Albanians in organ trafficking, a claim labelled as disinformation by EuVSDisinfo.
These allegations first appeared in the book “Madame Prosecutor” by Carla Del Ponte, former Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY. The book suggested that the Kosovo Liberation Army ‘might’ have abducted several hundred civilians in Kosovo in 1999 and transported them to northern Albania, where their organs were allegedly harvested.
Claims that the KLA was involved in organ trafficking through the so-called “Yellow House” in Albania were not supported by evidence, stated Matti Raatikainen, head of war crimes investigations at EULEX, in 2010.
In 2010, Swiss Senator Dick Marty drafted a report titled “Inhuman Treatment of People and Illicit Trafficking in Human Organs in Kosovo,” which was later adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. These claims were investigated by U.S. prosecutor Clint Williamson, who announced in July 2014 that his team’s findings did not include evidence to support organ trafficking allegations.
The indictment confirmed in October 2020 does not include any point regarding organ trafficking. Meanwhile, the accused, who are mostly prominent figures of the KLA and public figures on the political scene in Kosovo, including former President Hashim Thaci and Assembly Speaker, Kadri Vesli, have declared themselves not guilty of the charges.
The trial at Kosovo Specialist Chambers began in April 2023 with opening statements by the Specialist Prosecutor and the victims’ representative, followed by defense teams in May 2023. A total of 143 victims are participating in this case.
Increasing inter-ethnic tensions in Kosovo
Experts emphasise that Russian disinformation seeks to deepen divides between communities in Kosovo.
In May 2024, the social media account “srbininfo” published claims suggesting that Kosovo’s driver’s license policies aimed to assimilate Serbs into Albanians. Officials from Kosovo’s Civil Registry Agency dismissed these claims as baseless.
Similarly, in March 2024, the platform “RKS NEWS” shared a video accusing the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, of violating its neutrality by waving the Serbian flag.
UNMIK clarified that the video was manipulated to misinform the public.
Experts argue that Russia’s disinformation campaigns aim to undermine NATO, the EU, and the UN in Kosovo. These efforts also discourage trust and cooperation among Kosovo’s communities.
Venera Gashi from Democracy for Development, D4D, highlights the impact of such narratives during the Ukraine conflict, where misinformation was tailored to raise fears of a similar war in the Balkans.
“We had the example of the war in Ukraine, where narratives were circulating that a conflict could also start in the Balkans. This shows how a country or a people is targeted and it is decided what disinformation campaign should be created,” she declared.
According to Gashi, Russian propaganda also erodes enthusiasm for EU and NATO integration among Kosovars.
“The most frequent narratives are those that send a negative message towards the EU and NATO with the aim of undermining citizens’ trust in Western countries and cooling citizens’ enthusiasm for integrating into the EU or other international organisations,” Gashi further stated.
Ramadan Ilazi of the Center for Security Studies underscores how disinformation exploits cultural and historical narratives to incite tensions.
“Disinformation exploits cultural and historical narratives to create tensions, portraying opposing groups as threats or aggressors. For example, Serbian media often portrays Kosovo Albanians as threatening Serbian culture, while Albanian media often focuses on the stability threatened by the Serbian community,” he says.
Ilazi notes that disinformation campaigns are ‘designed to create an atmosphere of intimidation and division among specific communities’.
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