Filipova: Russia’s influence in the Balkans through media capture

At the conference “Russian Influence in the Balkans – Ukraine Crisis” organized by “The Geopost” in Pristina, chairperson and co-founder of the Institute for Global Analytics, Rumena Filipova, spoke about the Russian influence and disinformation that has taken place and the Russian aggression that is happening in Ukraine these days.

During her presentation, she said the hybrid activities of Russia are an addition in terms of operations that have an impact on the world.

“So the focus is on Russian power, in fact shifting the focus from the great military power to the use of ideas that have been displayed by China, Russia and some, including the dissemination of disinformation in the media and the opening of various cultural institutes. But when it comes to the media specifically one of the main manifestations is the so-called media capture, which we have seen in the Balkans. So here the media has presented a structure, which was controlled and possessed in one way or another by the oligarchic groups and it is very interesting that these local groups channeled a kind of decisive influence including the financial and ideological aspect. This influence is very dangerous at the international level and in the field of media and the end result must be their prevention. In general, what emerges from this report is that we really need to understand the power of Russia through the captured media, but also of China because they are interconnected,” said Filipova.

She added that some of the channels in which this disinformation is presented are channels controlled by Russia and the Kremlin and that are closely linked to political parties.

“We also have daily newspapers that publish this information. It is also interesting what is published on social networks, which is surprising, especially in the Balkans, where they are spreading their influence,” she said.

She also stressed that Albania and Kosovo are excluded from this influence and this shows the European perspective of these countries.

“Other countries like Bulgaria have the greatest influence in this regard. The media is also influenced by China, there are many channels in different ways in the region, for example in Bulgaria there are channels that are Bulgarian, but they broadcast this information. We have similarities in the region, but also differences between different countries. Serbia, for example, was the first in the region to accept Russian influence, such as Bulgaria. Then we have another group where Kosovo and Albania are where Russian and Chinese influence is incapable, although there are initiatives and tendencies for influence. “There is another group that can hinder Russian influence because they are members of the EU, such as Bulgaria and Croatia,” Filipova said.

In the end, Filipova announced her new book entitled “Constructing the Limits of Europe” which will be available on April 30 this year.