Tag: Russia

While EU and US experts gave instructions on “How the Balkan should defend itself against Russian propaganda?” In 2018 Macedonia was targeted not only by increased Russian propaganda influence but also by Russian political influence by supporting the Macedonian clone of “United Russia” (see analysis). Russian influence, which was also noticeable in the political crisis of 2015-2017, intensified especially before...

In North Macedonia, several Russian alternative medicine magazines are sold: “Russian herbalist”, “Russian doctor” and “Russian medicine”. They send messages such as: “Russian advice is worth your health”, “Russians have medicine” and “You ask, Russian doctors answer”. In these magazines, folk medicine is “Russian folk medicine”, and various folk recipes are also “Russian recipes”. But despite the attempt to...

Andrey Zakharov is an investigative journalist from the Russian service of BBC. He moved from Russia in November last year, when he was being designated as foreign agent in Russia, as many other journalists. He is currently living in one European country. In an interview for Truthmeter, he speaks about the Russian propaganda and the way it spreads, the...

"Eternal glory to the heroic fighters from the anti-Hitler's coalition who defeated Nazism and freed the European nations!" This sentence has been inscribed on the monument behind the Universal Hall in the center of Skopje, that was officially opened on the 9th of May 2020 by the Russian Ambassador to North Macedonia, Sergey Bazdnikin and the former Mayor of...

Serbs as well as some members of the Serbian-Macedonian associations in Polog are against the invasion of any country and are in favor of preserving the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. But some of them, despite condemnation from many countries and organizations, as well as indications that misunderstandings should be resolved through diplomacy, still believe that Russian President...

Although N. Macedonia is historically, but also geographically oriented towards Euro-Atlantic values, the government led by VMRO-DPMNE and DUI led by the former Prime Minister, now asylum seeker Nikola Gruevski, often “flirted” with Russia. The overthrow of this government was not so easy, it was made more difficult by the Russian agents, who had a part in organizing the...

The recent expulsion of five Russian diplomats is not the first expulsion of Russian diplomats from Macedonia. For the first time, Macedonia expelled a Russian diplomat in 2018, when not only the intensified Russian propaganda influence was noticeable, but also an attempt for Russian political influence by supporting the Macedonian clone of “United Russia”, writes Truthmeter.mk. Under the syndicating agreement...

In an interview with four Serbian media outlets, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov used the well-known disinformation narrative about the military intervention in Ukraine, using the well-known phrase “special military operation” aimed at freeing the oppressed Russian population in Donbas and Luhansk. Lavrov reiterated that the entry of the Russian army into Ukraine should bring “demilitarization and denationalization of the Ukrainian armed forces and the...

The cobweb of Russian influence in North Macedonia is also being built through science, education and culture. This is achieved by placing topics related to scientific, cultural and educational, as well as a religious community with Russia, joint appearances and celebrations of important dates said representatives of the academic community and media reactions related to celebrations, activities and concrete...

In general, I do not believe that the Russian disinformation campaign and the current support of the misperception about the war in Ukraine will affect the possible change of the foreign policy of N. Macedonia. There are currently no real opportunities for war in the Balkans. Russian disinformation by hybrid means continues to spread, giving a vain hope to...

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, in an interview with Portalb.mk says that disinformation and propaganda are tools of war and that the Government treats them as such. He says that the state has difficulties in preventing the daily mass penetration of disinformation in the creation of public opinion. According to him, the fight against...

From the very beginning of his column in the daily newspaper “Nova Makedonija”, Russian Ambassador Sergei Baznikin points out that Russia is committed to a quick cessation of hostilities and finding a solution through diplomacy, at the negotiating table. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that Russia is ready for a diplomatic solution to the situation with Ukraine....

More than a month after Russia invaded Ukraine, intensified attacks on several Ukrainian cities have left many people without access to their homes, without electricity, water, food or basic necessities. The countries supporting Ukraine in this war, including North Macedonia, are sending aid in various formats to help the military forces, as well as humanitarian aid for those who...

As of Monday, the 28th of March, the citizens of North Macedonia have the opportunity to sign the petition named "Ukraine Street" to plea Skopje City Hall to rename Pirin Street, the Embassy of the Russian Federation is located on - to Ukraine Street, announced the Embassy of Ukraine to North Macedonia. "This would be a symbolic act of support...

Young Montenegrin singers Milica Radan and Komnen Vuković, together with the choir D-mol, published a video clip for their antiwar song devoted to the children of Ukraine "Vratite nam snove" ("Bring back our dreams") on March 17. The song is a message demanding an end to the war and promoting empathy for the suffering children. The video clip includes subtitles...

Several dozens of citizens, mostly parents with children, held an antiwar protest on Ban Jelačić Square in Zagreb on Saturday, March 18, expressing support for the Ukrainian fight for freedom under the motto #StandWithUkraine. At the protest, the organizers read an announcement condemning the war crimes perpetrated by Russian aggressors in Ukraine, while several local Ukrainians expressed personal concern for the...

Since the Russian-Ukrainian crisis started, a propaganda war started on social media in our country, full of hate speech and “cheering” for one of the warring parties. Certain political and media circles have for years been accustoming the citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia that hate speech is something “normal” and that calls for violence are a “normal” part...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia (MFA) reminded the country nationals that enlistment in any foreign army and participation in war conflicts abroad is crime according to North Macedonia regulations, i.e. according to the Criminal Code. This reaction ensued after the Ukrainian Embassy in Skopje transmitted the call from the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Ukrainian President...

On the the order of the Russian president Vladimir Putin, the Russian government has compiled a list of states that have allegedly "taken hostile actions against Russia, Russian companies and Russian nationals", informs the Serbian television N1. Out of this list of enemy states in Europe, that was published by Russian state media, just the following 6 countries...

Russian embassy in Skopje has been the only one in the Balkans region to translate and transmit the "warning" by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (MFA)  about increased level of "rusophobia" which stresses that "all such incidents are meticulously recorded." Even though the state institutions of Russian Federation had limited or blocked access to social network...