The war against fake online profiles intensifies in Kosovo ahead of the Hague verdict

As the announcement of the Special Court’s verdict in The Hague on the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army approaches, activity by suspicious profiles and fake accounts on social media in Kosovo has increased. Through posts, comments and calls inciting hatred, violence and division, they seek to influence public opinion and raise tensions in the country.

One of the main topics addressed by these accounts is precisely the verdict expected in The Hague.

“Our house should burn too, so the UDB agents don’t celebrate. Russia and Serbia want the conviction at all costs precisely to criminalize freedom. You wanted to form Russia, and in the end accuse Thaçi of being afraid and not daring to form it himself?”

These comments were published by several fake profiles, which have significantly increased their activity in recent days. According to observations, such accounts are being used to spread polarizing messages and foment divisions in society.

Cybersecurity experts assess that the intensification of this activity during such a sensitive period is not accidental. They point out that the way these accounts operate and coordinate raises suspicions that they may not be driven solely by individual reactions.

According to Halil Berisha, a cybersecurity researcher, this is a form of online warfare that could be exploited to worsen the situation and incite violence.

“We have seen suspicious profiles using inflammatory and polarizing language in the past as well, but it appears that the current focus of many of them is the Court’s verdict in The Hague. This is quite natural, since many senior officials in Serbia, such as Aleksandar Vučić and Milovan, have also raised scenarios involving unrest. Therefore, in this context, the activity of these coordinated profiles could be used to deepen divisions, increase tensions and create material that could later be used to strengthen Serbia’s propagandistic narratives against Kosovo,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Hibrid.info platform, which focuses on information verification and tracking disinformation narratives, has also identified an increase in content inciting hatred and division.

Monitoring by the platform has highlighted suspicious accounts that repeatedly and rapidly distribute specific narratives.

“We have observed suspicious profiles and pages on social media that are repeatedly used to distribute false, manipulative and inflammatory content related to political and social developments in Kosovo. Some narratives are repeated, amplified and distributed through a broad network of sources, making their impact in Kosovo’s information space greater,” emphasized Etrit Rexhepi of Hibrid.info.

In recent days, the head of Serbia’s government has also made statements and used inflammatory language in connection with the verdict expected to be announced in The Hague concerning the KLA leaders.

Vučić continues propaganda against Thaçi: In Paris, I received “different signals” about the verdict against him.

Under these circumstances, experts warn that the online space could be used as a ground for escalating tensions. For this reason, citizens and security institutions are urged to exercise heightened caution.