​OCTOPUS: Serbia is interfering in the February 9 elections through hybrid warfare

Serbia is interfering in the February 9 parliamentary elections in Kosovo through hybrid warfare.

This was said at the roundtable of the Institute for Hybrid Warfare Studies "OCTOPUS", where foreign interference in elections and its impact on national security and democracy was discussed.

The Director of the "OCTOPUS" Institute, Arben Fetoshi, said that Serbia's hybrid war against Kosovo includes combined activities that undermine the democratic order.

He stressed that the Serbian List is a legally disguised umbrella for the destabilization of Kosovo.

"Serbia has crouched in the authoritarian Russian and Chinese world to continue its expansionist policy. Its hybrid war against Kosovo, which can be defined as political, economic and security interventions, includes combined activities that undermine the democratic order and its international consolidation. It has always considered influencing electoral processes, whether local or parliamentary, as a good opportunity for sabotage...

Such tendencies and the same approach of interference from Serbia are also being observed in the parliamentary elections on February 9. Vučić's party has called for only the Serbian List to be voted for. Its government has mobilized to support it with all means, including using financial methods.

"Serbia's commitment to providing it with the 10 guaranteed seats in the Kosovo Assembly is not only about the goal of control but also about the message of absolute support for Belgrade's reliable mechanism for Kosovo Serbs. Meanwhile, the terrorist attack in Banjska Zvecan, whose leadership was admitted by the deputy leader Milan Radoićić himself, shows that the Serbian List is not simply a political entity, but is a legally disguised umbrella for hybrid activities to destabilize Kosovo," he said.

Part of this discussion table was also Serbian journalist Radomir Dimić, who said that Serbia, through hybrid warfare, is interfering in the electoral process in Kosovo, but also in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He also mentioned the influence of the Serbian List in Kosovo, which, according to him, is being used by official Belgrade to destabilize Kosovo.

"The idea is to create Belgrade's geopolitical interest through the Serbian List and expand Serbia's influence in Kosovo and destabilize Kosovo's constitutional order... There is also hope in US President Donald Trump.

It is Vučić who has initiated the return of the regional police. There is no doubt that all of these are forms of hybrid warfare, not only in the elections in Kosovo, but also in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and for all of this the European Union is not reacting against these things. Therefore, I would like to warn the Serbs in Kosovo that all these lies can backfire and put them in an even worse position than they are. They should not be based on Milan Radoićić, who is still at large. He was not installed by chance as a major criminal figure installed by Belgrade," he added.

On the other hand, the Ambassador of Finland, Matti Nissien, said that the hybrid war against Kosovo is increasingly manifesting itself through disinformation campaigns aimed at ethnic divisions.

"As far as Kosovo is concerned, these manifest themselves through misinformation campaigns, false narratives that aim to create ethnic divisions and undermine trust in institutions. Geo-political pressures, narratives that support the approach of opposing Kosovo's independence. Also, distrust is created, vulnerability of infrastructure, as was the recent case in Zubin Potok. This demonstrates the need for improved protection measures," he stressed.

Other participants at this conference also highlighted Serbia's interference in the February 9 election process. /KP/