Analyses

IFCN Statement: U.S. visa bans on international researchers undermine press freedom

The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the Poynter Institute strongly opposes the Trump administration’s recent decision to deny U.S. visas to European public officials and civil society leaders. This action, which includes the blacklisting of individuals for their professional contributions to information integrity, represents a disturbing departure from historic principles of free expression. These bans […]

January 15, 2026

Brnabić Finds the “Brighter Side” of an EU Resolution – That Doesn’t Exist

For the European Parliament’s resolution “on polarization and growing repression in Serbia, one year after the Novi Sad tragedy,” described as the harshest to date toward the Serbian authorities, Brnabić told reporters: “I wouldn’t agree that this is the harshest resolution ever. We’ve had much worse ones from the European Parliament. I think the previous […]

November 8, 2025

Is Vučić Still Comfortable in the “Serbian Chair”?

During her visit to the Western Balkans, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also stopped in Belgrade. On that occasion, Vučić declared: “For Serbia, EU membership is a strategic commitment and a priority of its foreign policy.” Yet the facts tell a different story: Serbia has been stuck on its European path since December […]

November 7, 2025

The government nods along when Russians accuse the EU of preparing a “Maidan” in Serbia

For months, government officials, led by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, have claimed that student blockades and protests following the collapse of a canopy in Novi Sad were in fact a “colour revolution attempt”. They saw the organizers and financiers in the West, just as Moscow does. That Vučić’s regime is on the same wavelength as […]

October 10, 2025

Neither peace, nor stability – Vučić

Unrest at home The protests that began in November 2024, after the collapse of the canopy in Novi Sad, were not extinguished by the repression that was visible at every step. Over the summer, a new phase of suppressing civic resistance began – both propaganda and physical violence escalated, we noted hundreds of […]

October 4, 2025

Russian campaign sinks the online space: What is “Storm-1516” that has reached Serbia?

Since 2023, the French state agency Viginum has been monitoring a set of information manipulation set called “Storm-1516” (also known by Microsoft’s nickname “Neva Flood”). Viginum’s report is based on the analysis of 77 operations conducted from August 2023 to March 5, 2025, in which Viginum uncovers the Kremlin’s attempt to undermine trust in Ukraine […]

May 7, 2025

Government vs. Sound Cannon: What’s the Verdict?

After thousands of people witnessed an unprecedented phenomenon, a sound, and the medical effects they felt on Saturday at 19:11, and after the public was flooded with dozens of recordings clearly showing the spontaneous panic reaction of the peaceful and still crowd, claims on the potential use of “sonic weapons” against protesters emerged. Sonic weapons […]

March 25, 2025

The authoritarian playbook: How governments in Georgia, Slovakia and Serbia employ same narratives and tactics against protests

Governments that are openly distancing themselves from the EU, leaning toward Russia, or doing so less openly while employing Russian propaganda tactics – this is exactly what we are witnessing on the political scene in Georgia, Slovakia, and Serbia. Mass protests by dissatisfied citizens on one side, and politicians in power who seem to be […]

March 14, 2025

Two months of blockades: How do the “propaganda cookbook” and spins work against students?

Each step of the spin made by the Government, with the help of the propaganda machine, during the two months of student blockades was aimed at discrediting students, questioning their motives for the blockades, stifling all critical voices, and demonizing political opponents. In this mission, high-ranking state officials and media used various manipulation mechanisms. They […]

January 30, 2025

President is happy about the cancellation of fact-checkers – which did not happen

On Sunday, January 12, President Aleksandar Vučić appeared on the central news of TV Pink. During his appearance, he commented on Meta’s decision to cancel the independent fact-checking program, primarily in the United States, on its platforms – Facebook and Instagram. “Under the influence of Elon Musk and Donald Trump, Mark Zuckerberg decided to cancel […]

January 17, 2025