Background
During his tenure, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked on his inaugural visit to Albania en route to the Munich Security Conference. Following Blinken’s visit, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama extended an invitation to host the NATO Summit in 2027, underscoring Albania’s commitment to international security alliances.
At the same time, Tirana is the venue for a summit attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leaders from Western Balkan countries. The summit aims to mobilize additional aid for Ukraine, highlighting the ongoing support for the country amidst geopolitical challenges. Moreover, Albania anticipates that the event will bolster its relations with neighboring European nations, fostering stronger regional ties.
In the diplomatic proceedings in Tirana, Serbia raised specific requests for amendments to the declaration. Firstly, they insisted on the removal of any mention of imposing sanctions against Russia.
Secondly, Serbia adamantly opposed the inclusion of assertions regarding Russian ‘malign influence’ in the region. This stance reflected Serbia’s reluctance to acknowledge any negative impact attributed to Russia’s actions, aligning with their broader geopolitical stance.
Lastly, Serbia urged for the substitution of the term “countries” with “the Western Balkans six” in the declaration. This modification stemmed from Serbia’s refusal to recognize Kosovo as an independent state. By insisting on this alteration, Serbia sought to underscore its position on the status of Kosovo while participating in regional diplomatic initiatives.
After Zelenskyy’s arrival at Tirana airport, a recent post surfaced on our X timelines from a verified profile of Volodymyr Zelensky. The post read:
- We found it odd to notice the appearance of a follow button beside it, given that we had not previously followed his profile.
- The following day, a new post emerged in the timeline, as a reply to another X account @DD_Geopolitics.
The post included screenshots from official accounts in X of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Albania, an advisor from the ministry, as well as the Albanian Embassies in Romania and Greece, all retweeting the latest post. While we cannot independently verify the authenticity of the screenshots, it’s worth noting that they are no longer accessible on their respective accounts.
Analysis
- There was no official announcement made by Zelenskyy or by the host of the summit that indicated that the discussion would encompass the issue of Crimea or the Kosovo matter. According to Volodymyr Tolkach, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia: “The Kosovo regime fully supports Ukrainian independence. Sometimes it is very difficult for our politicians to explain that to our people. But I can say that our government and our president are steadfast in their stance that we will not recognize Kosovo.” Tolkach’s remarks were conveyed during an interview with the Serbian news agency Tanjug on February 23rd of this year.
- “Albania is a rich country…” was the other manipulative statement in the abovementioned post from the Zelensky’s parody account. Statistical data reveals that Albania is classified as a Developing/Emerging Upper-middle income economy, with a GDP per capita of $8,800.
- The @DD_Geopolitics account directs users to the website, where the keyword ‘multipolar’ holds significance. This term aligns with the narrative propagated primarily by Russia and China, asserting the decline of the Western-dominated global order in favor of a multipolar world. In the homepage appears a statement by Alexander Dugin, a Russian far-right political philosopher inspiring Putin. He has been also called Putin’s grey eminence or even Putin’s brain. Dugin has theorized the foundation of a “Euro-Asian empire” capable of fighting the US-led Western world.
- In the section ‘Who we are’ one can read: “DD Geopolitics was born out of the necessity to push back on Western narratives and censorship in media. What began as a partnership on a Telegram Channel, has now become a cooperative of writers, reporters, analysts, and streamers dedicated to the ideals of multipolarity. We regularly feature contributors from China, Palestine, Russia, Serbia, USA, and Yemen. We have been featured on Russia Today, TNT, Sputnik, PressTV, and other platforms.”
- Further exploration of the website reveals video content with titles like “2024 Projections: China’s Rise & Global Dynamics with Chen Weihua” and “All Chinese crew on board! – Carl Zha On How to Safely Travel the Red Sea, The Butcher etc.”
Conclusion
The gathered evidence strongly indicates a coordinated and planned operation originating from the Russian toolbox. A notable portion of the comments on the account originates from Serbian users, suggesting potential external influence.
The addition of the term ‘parody’ to the profile of ‘Zelensky’ on the X account goes largely unnoticed by most audiences. The profile’s creator strategically employs Zelensky’s name and factual events, accompanied by actual photographs, to cultivate trust among followers. What changes here is the shifted narrative that he creates, with a hidden message, that not everybody can notice.
This sophisticated approach refrains from direct attacks or overt misinformation, instead aiming to sow discord, induce confusion, and manipulate the prevailing narrative through subtle messaging. The effectiveness of these tactics lies in their ability to construct an alternative narrative grounded in factual events.
In the context of Clare Wardel’s classification of misinformation and disinformation, satire and parody, considered forms of artistic expression, present a risk of misinterpretation by audiences, potentially facilitating the spread of fabricated content. In this case, the intentional use of parody aims to misguide and manipulate public opinion.
Prepared by MeDisInfo research team
