Fetoshi: Vidovdan symbolism is being used as a tool of hybrid warfare against Kosovo

Arben Fetoshi, director of the Institute for Hybrid Warfare Studies “Octopus,” has assessed that Serbia is using the symbolism of Vidovdan as an instrument of hybrid warfare and as a mechanism for spreading nationalist and hegemonic narratives toward Kosovo.

In an analysis published on Facebook, Fetoshi said that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is continuing to place history and national symbols in the service of political and strategic objectives.

“Vidovdan is not a historical or religious anniversary, but has turned into a ritual of calls for conflict and violence. In the post-Milošević hybrid strategy, Vidovdan is the mechanism that feeds manipulative narratives about the ‘Serbian World’: victimization, the ‘holy’ land, and Western aggression,” Fetoshi wrote.

According to him, nationalist interpretations of the Battle of Kosovo have been exploited over the years for political mobilization and to fuel territorial claims against Kosovo.

“It is sacralized so that it cannot be negotiated. There can be no compromise with sanctity. They go to Brussels to win ‘constructiveness,’ but the ‘earthly’ reality of the Republic of Kosovo cannot be accepted,” he stressed.

Fetoshi also underlined that the narrative of victimization has been used to evade responsibility for crimes committed during the wars in the former Yugoslavia, as well as to mobilize public opinion in Serbia.

“In this context, victimization is a strategy for avoiding responsibility regarding war crimes in Kosovo and propaganda for emotional mobilization, certified through the religious clergy,” he declared.

He also criticized narratives that, according to him, aim to relativize war crimes and delegitimize Kosovo’s institutions.

“Claims of repression and terror against the ‘Serb people’ and of KLA ‘crimes’ during the war that ‘are deliberately not investigated’ aim to demonize the Republic of Kosovo, deceive international opinion, and hinder the integration of the Serb community,” he wrote.

According to the director of the “Octopus” Institute, the symbolism of Vidovdan continues to be used for Serbia’s domestic political needs as well, through political mobilization and by feeding narratives about the “injustice” done to Serbia.

“In the game of power, Vučić makes use of the symbolism of pride, strength, and economic development. He organizes activities and inspirational liturgies before Vidovdan, mobilizes electoral support in Belgrade, and demonstrates new combat systems on June 28,” Fetoshi stressed.

In conclusion, he argued that Vidovdan should not be seen only as a historical or religious commemoration, but as part of a broader hybrid warfare strategy.

“As long as Kosovo is treated as a myth and not accepted as a reality, Vidovdan will remain the ritual of war bells in the Balkans,” Fetoshi concluded.