Disinformation as a tool of foreign policy: Russia's media strategy in the Balkans

Russia's historical ties with the region and its competition with the West have brought its efforts to influence the Balkans through disinformation into the spotlight. This study examines Russia's motivation for employing disinformation in the Balkans and its strategy for executing these campaigns. Following the 2014 Ukraine crisis, Russian disinformation intensified in the Balkans, focusing on discrediting NATO and the European Union, and weakening the normative power of Western institutions. The study concludes that Russia adapts its "weaponization of information" strategy to the region's dynamics and its own foreign policy priorities. The strategy includes deepening societal divides, fostering distrust towards adversaries, creating local echo rooms that reinforce positive perceptions of Russian policies, and disseminating manipulated information through various media outlets. In summary it is observed that Moscow has turned media institutions that expected to be elements of soft power, into a destructive tool through disinformation.