Opinion

Kremlin propaganda with the 'wars of the West': NATO attacks Russia through Albania and Kosovo

Kremlin propaganda with the 'wars of the West': NATO attacks Russia

By Alteo Hysi/ In the latest Russian propaganda monitoring report, the Special Task Force Against Russian Disinformation, part of the EU's diplomatic service, points out that wars, especially those attributed to others, still remain a prominent feature of the efforts of Kremlin to paint the world with its colors.

The notion of the 'West', according to the experts of "Eu VS DisInfo", is now stabilized in the Kremlin's identity and worldview.

"In the Kremlin's projection, the West has become synonymous with all those who oppose Moscow's policies."

A few days after this analysis, the "war of the West" appears again through the propaganda machinery that builds the Russian worldview, this time targeting Albania and Kosovo.

Recently, the medium "Sputnik Serbia", one of the main channels of Russian propaganda and influence in the region, writes that NATO has been working for 10 years on the idea of ​​an attack on Russia, using Albania and Kosovo as an auxiliary corridor.

Ljubomir Gjurkovic, who according to Sputnik served as the defense commander in Koshare "during the NATO aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia", says that "the goal of the NATO pact is clear - to disable Russia as a superpower and to attack its energy resources, which are especially abundant in the Siberian basin".

"Our interlocutor explains that the so-called Balkan corridor would start from Albania, from the port of Durrës, where the Americans have created and are expanding the naval base. Normally, the land connection is made via 'Prishtina-Durra', in order to facilitate the transport of troops and equipment that would be used for the final confrontation, that is, for the attack on Russia. Another direction that is possible and that I am afraid will be feasible is the naval base of the port of Tivar, which would be connected to the highway that goes to Belgrade", emphasizes Gjurkovic.

According to him, everything that has happened in Albania and Kosovo in recent years is being done for the realization of this plan.

"The Balkan countries will provide corridors for the transport of logistical equipment, weapons and soldiers, as well as the mobilization of up to 150,000 people from the Balkan area - from Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Albania, the so-called Kosovo and Bulgaria" , Gjurković believes.

According to him, preparations in Albania are also part of this plan, where two bases have already been largely renovated: one in the port of Durrës and the other, the Kuçova air base, which Albania has offered to NATO.

The Sputnik article is triggered by an article in the London media "The Telegraph", according to which NATO is preparing several land corridors for sending American troops to the front line in the event of a major European war with Russia.

In fact, The Telegraph writes about the possible corridors that the American troops could use as a logistical route to deal with in the event of a possible attack from Russia. At no point does The Telegraph claim, nor imply, a NATO attack plan against Russia through the Balkan corridor.

So, once again, Russian propaganda tries to mount the narrative of NATO as an aggressor, of the Euro-Atlantic alliance as a threat to Russian society, while Albania and Kosovo are the possible "tools" of such a danger. Such a narrative is not new to the Kremlin mentality.

In 2018, NATO's Center for Strategic Communications published a report investigating Russia's means of influence in the Western Balkans. The project identified a total of 9 narratives promoted by the Kremlin in the region through articles in Sputnik Srbija, the Serbian branch of the Russian state news agency Sputnik.

Among them, the dominant narratives were that "NATO is aggressive and provocative", while "NATO countries like Albania are weak, incompetent and corrupt". The report shows that Albania is used by Russian propaganda as an illustration of how the West uses the region to advance its own interests.

During the monitoring of the content of Sputnik Srbija, more than 300 articles related to Albania were identified, from which the narrative that "the European Union is hegemonic in the region" remained among the most popular. Sputnik portrayed Kosovo as the main source of instability in the Balkans.

Thus, the same fable repeats itself again and probably won't be the last time. The danger and the war that comes from NATO will remain for a long time part of disinformation as a tool of war for the Kremlin.

The truth is that NATO, as repeatedly stated by alliance officials, does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to Russia.

Although Russia presents serious threats and provocations to the security of allied countries, the alliance reaffirms that "it will continue to respond to Russian threats in a responsible manner."

Kremlin propaganda with the 'wars of the West': NATO attacks Russia

Basically, NATO is not an aggressive alliance, but a defensive alliance that aims to keep member countries safe by working to prevent and protect against Russia's actions, including disinformation and manipulation of information, which as the head of diplomacy would say of the EU, Josep Borell, is now a matter of European security.