The Special Prosecution Office of Kosovo has filed an indictment against Fatmir Sheholli, who is suspected of the criminal offenses of “Espionage” and “Blackmail.”
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The case has once again drawn attention to discussions about the activities of Serbian services in Kosovo. Arben Fetoshi, director of the Octopus Institute, said the matter should not be treated as an isolated case, as several cases of espionage have been confirmed in Kosovo, including cases in which final verdicts have already been issued.
Fetoshi said that the information made public about the Sheholli case points to the involvement of Serbia’s state structures and the BIA in influence operations inside Kosovo. According to him, these actions are part of the hybrid strategy that the Octopus Institute attributes to Serbia against Kosovo.
“What we saw today, as reported by the media, in the Sheholli case clearly reveals the engagement, driven by a particular interest, of Serbia’s state structures, with executive support from the BIA, in influence operations inside Kosovo,” Fetoshi said.
He assessed that the aim of these strategies is to destabilize the country, increase political and social polarization, and weaken citizens’ trust in Kosovo’s institutions. In this context, Fetoshi also mentioned narratives linked to religious radicalism and efforts to portray Kosovo as a country affected by Islamic extremism.
“These consist of destabilizing our country, deepening polarization in our country, and increasing distrust toward our country’s institutions,” he said.
According to the director of the Octopus Institute, the fight against espionage is complicated and requires coordination among the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, the Kosovo Police and the State Prosecutor’s Office. He warned that the cases uncovered may represent only part of a broader phenomenon.
“With these cases, Kosovo has already demonstrated the capacity to neutralize the threat posed by espionage networks,” Fetoshi said.
Political scientist Dorajet Imeri described the filing of the indictment against Sheholli as evidence that the justice institutions had handled the matter professionally. However, he stressed that Kosovo remains exposed to Serbia’s efforts to influence political, social and economic developments.
Imeri emphasized that possible Serbian influence is not limited to the security sphere. According to him, it also affects Kosovo’s image, its international position, internal political stability and the resilience of its institutions.
“How exposed Kosovo is in relation to Serbia, and how stressful Serbia’s efforts are to obstruct all the political, social and economic processes taking place in our country,” Imeri added.
He described it as encouraging that the security institutions had identified and arrested people suspected of espionage. He called cooperation among the Police, the Kosovo Intelligence Agency and the Prosecution essential, but added that a court decision must be awaited in the specific case.
Festim Rizanaj, a researcher at Hibrid.info, focused on the role of propaganda and Serbian narratives. He said that political and social polarization in Kosovo creates an environment in which these narratives can also be used in internal political and ideological clashes.
“This social and political polarization is creating a kind of vacuum that, whether intentionally or not, and without any specific aim, allows someone else to use these narratives to attack their own domestic political opponent,” Rizanaj said.
Rizanaj said Serbian propaganda has continuity and that its narratives are often intertwined with concrete developments in Kosovo. In particular, he mentioned issues related to the Serbian community, claims of attacks on religious heritage and narratives about Islamic radicalism.
According to him, some of these messages seek to portray the Serbian community in Kosovo as a victim, after which this perception is used internationally to influence how Kosovo is treated.
“These are the main elements through which Serbia tries to portray the Serbian community here as a victim and sell this narrative in geopolitics and the international arena,” Rizanaj said.
Publicist Sadik Zeqiri spoke about Fatmir Sheholli’s past and claims concerning his links to Serbian intelligence services. According to Zeqiri, Sheholli had contacts and cooperated with Serbian structures before and during the war in Kosovo.
“He himself admitted that he was part of Serbia’s intelligence services during and before the war in Kosovo,” Zeqiri said.
Zeqiri added that Sheholli had cooperated with the Serbian BIA and had been engaged in various institutions in which Serbian parties played a role.
