The increase of internet users across Kosovo is not only providing great access to it for the right reasons but also increases the fear of eruption of a violent information environment.

In the ‘battleground’ for the most popular post or news story and the struggle of external actors to influence the public, hate speech and disinformation, and even Russian and Chinese propaganda have been spread in Kosovo.

Dren Gërguri, a professor of Journalism at the University of Prishtina said at the ‘Kallxo Përnime’ show that the Russian and Chinese influence is visible  in  various channels in Kosovo.

“But if we talk about China’s influence, we notice that there is a difference in terms of content and target. Russian propaganda has created its narrative for decades since the last war [Kosovo war] – in certain situations it re-actualizes it; –  we also notice that the same disinformation is translated into several different languages”, Gërguri pointed out. 

Gërguri said that the purpose of this propaganda and disinformation is to present Kosovo as a dysfunctional state.

The Russian and Chinese influence came to the fore after the start of the war in Ukraine, on February 26, 2022. In order to stop the propaganda and preserve public safety, the Independent Media Commission in Kosovo ordered a temporary ban on the broadcasting of Russian channels.

Kreshnik Gashi, the editor of KALLXO.com, said that there is also a campaign against Kosovo’s membership in the EU and NATO, “due to dissatisfaction with these two actors”.

“Due to false information, the EU is being blamed for not accepting Kosovo as a member, and NATO is being portrayed as a criminal organization that has committed crimes against the Serbian population, which is not what actually happened,” said Gashi.

Gashi expressed his concern that Kosovo does not have the means  to deal with the problems created  by the internet. 

“First, whether the Kosovar society has been so violent really by nature or whether the internet has made it so violent is a theoretical matter to be discussed, not only among the people but in terms of the internet and social media”,  said another professor of Journalism at the University of Prishtina, Alban Zeneli, while speaking about the two main factors that have influenced the language of hate.

Zeneli further suggested that, in order to fight these phenomena that violate the freedom of the media and threaten the public, the Ministry of Education in Kosovo should add  media studies as a mandatory subject at  schools.