Fake profiles in organized action in Serbia, attack voices criticizing Vučić's regime - Instagrams of some free media outlets are closed

Newly created profiles, with no followers and a minimal number of posts – this is what fake Instagram accounts look like, on average, that have started following critical media outlets and non-governmental organizations in Serbia in a coordinated manner and within a very short period of time. After this artificial “attack” with followers, the accounts of the media outlets and NGOs have been temporarily suspended or closed by the platform.

Radio Free Europe's analysis shows that these are fake followers (worldwide), while journalists' associations and civil society organizations suspect that we are dealing with a planned action, aimed at limiting the reach of media outlets that are not under the control of the government.

On January 18, Instagram suspended or closed the accounts of more than twenty media outlets, organizations, and individuals in Serbia after an unusual increase in the number of followers was recorded in a very short period of time. The Meta company, which owns Instagram and Facebook, qualifies these cases as “suspicious activity,” which automatically leads to penalties for the accounts.

"This is an unprecedented situation, because many accounts of different actors have been hit at the same time – from media and photojournalists, to civil society organizations and activists," Bojan Perkov of the Share Foundation, which deals with digital security, told RFE/RL. He points out that Meta moderates content mainly through algorithms, which often results in reactions to accounts that do not actually violate the rules.

Most of the profiles suspended on January 18 were reactivated a day later, without any official explanation. Neither Meta nor the High-Tech Crime Prosecution have responded to whether this case is being investigated.

Continuous attacks with the world

Before the synchronized shutdowns, some media outlets had publicly warned of cyberattacks, which manifested themselves through extreme increases in followers within hours. The portal “Nova S” reported that on January 10, it gained over 40 followers in one day, without any viral content or real increase in activity. The following day, 25 followers left.

Even the weekly "Radar" reported that the number of followers on Instagram increased by about 8 percent in less than two hours. Similar increases were also recorded on the accounts of Nova S and N1 televisions, as well as on the youth portal Zoomer. RSE analysis shows that these following profiles are typical of the world: without followers, newly opened and with posts only on the first day.

A large increase in followers has also been observed on the profiles of student organizations, which have been organizing faculty blockades and mass protests against the government since late 2024. The profile “Students in Blockade” has almost tripled the number of followers, from 400 thousand to about one million. These accounts have also previously faced temporary suspensions.

Non-transparent rules and reactions

Not all suspended accounts had unusual increases in followers. According to data from the Social Blade platform, the CRTA organization's profile did not show any suspicious activity. Its representative, Jovana Gjurbabić, said the profile was closed without any warning and restored a day later, also without explanation.

Journalists' associations have strongly condemned this wave of closures. ANEM described it as a "coordinated action to erase the profiles of independent media outlets," while the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina spoke of "digital sabotage" against critical media outlets.

According to Council of Europe data, Serbia had the highest number of attacks on journalists in the Western Balkans during 2025. Meanwhile, Freedom House's report from February 2025 ranks Serbia among the countries with the greatest decline in freedoms in the last decade, highlighting increased control over the media and pressure on journalists.

/Express newspaper/