Blerim Vela
In mid-January 2026, analysts reported a surge of Russian-linked far-right propaganda circulating on Telegram in Serbia (Radio Slobodna Evropa, January 13). Scores of interconnected channels amplify messages from the International Sovereigntist League and other extremist networks, reaching hundreds of thousands of followers. These channels are not isolated echo chambers. Ultranationalist groups in Serbia repost coordinated content on immigration, traditionalism, and opposition to liberal norms, embedding Moscow-aligned narratives deeply into online discourse. The expansion of these networks highlights how digital platforms have become central vectors for foreign influence in the Western Balkans, shaping public opinion and political dynamics rather than merely reflecting them.
Online networks are only one layer of a broader ecosystem. Across the Western Balkans, far-right militias march in the streets, Orthodox priests frame geopolitical loyalty as a moral duty, and sympathetic politicians invoke Moscow’s blessing to resist Western norms, creating a coordinated strategy that fuses digital, religious, and political levers of influence.
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