Petar Petković, the spokesperson for Serbian and Russian propaganda disseminated through Kosovo-Online

Kosovo-Online operates as propaganda tool serving the interests of Vučić’s regime and the Serbian Orthodox Church

The Director of the so-called “Office for Kosova” in the Government of Serbia, Petar Petković is one of the most vocal and active figures in Belgrade’s efforts to construct and disseminate propaganda narratives against the state of Kosova. He acts as a spokesperson for Aleksandar Vučić’s regime and is a regular contributor to Kosovo-Online, a disinformation outlet operating under the umbrella of Sputnik Serbia and Russia Today Balkan — two of the Kremlin’s main propaganda platforms in the Balkans.

Petković is part of the leadership structures of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), led by Vučić. Since his appointment to this role in 2020, he has regularly appeared in media aligned with the Serbian Government, including Kosovo-Online, a platform that, despite presenting itself as a media outlet, essentially functions as a direct propaganda tool of Belgrade.

Although it claims to be a media outlet for the Serbian community in Kosova, Kosovo-Online does not serve the purpose of informing Serbian citizens. Instead, it operates as a political and propaganda tool serving the interests of Vučić’s regime and the Serbian Orthodox Church. The platform does not offer practical information related to public services, civic rights, or institutional integration. Instead, it is used to fuel tensions, encourage defiance against the state of Kosova, and consolidate Belgrade’s political and religious influence in the northern region of the country.

Kosovo-Online articles are saturated with politically charged and deceptive content, which not only misinforms the Serbian community but also spreads fear, portraying Kosova as an “occupied land” and its institutions as a “threat to Serbian civilians.”

A significant portion of the platform’s content is based on statements by Petković, which are broadcast unfiltered, without any fact-checking and with dramatic tones. Thus, Petković is not merely a news source but a permanent figure and co-author of the narrative that Kosovo-Online relentlessly promotes.

The narratives spread by Petković and warmly embraced by Kosovo-Online align entirely with hybrid warfare techniques known from Russian disinformation practices, particularly under the concept of “influence operations.” Content published by this platform is often copied or redistributed by media such as Sputnik Serbia or RT Balkan, creating a regional propaganda network with severe implications for security in the Balkans, especially in Kosova.

During the events of May 2023 in Zveçan and North Mitrovica, when organized Serbian terrorist groups armed with iron rods, Molotov cocktails, and other violent tools attacked KFOR troops and obstructed the functioning of democratically elected local institutions, Kosovo-Online played a central role in manipulating public opinion. It deliberately misrepresented the causes of the protests, portraying the hooligans as “peace defenders,” while labeling Kosova Police and NATO troops as “aggressors against Serbian civilians.”

Likewise, after the Serbian terrorist act on September 24 in Banjska, which resulted in the killing of Kosova Police Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku, a national hero, Kosovo-Online attempted to relativize and justify the act, portraying it as a “reaction to Pristina’s repression.” Instead of reporting factually and based on independent sources, the platform disseminated coordinated disinformation from Vučić’s regime and narratives from the Serbian Orthodox Church, which glorified the leader of the terrorist group, Milan Radoičić.

Petković and Kosovo-Online are not separate entities, they represent two pillars of the same architecture: Serbian state propaganda, supported by external actors such as Russia and the Serbian Orthodox Church. Their goal is not coexistence, peace, or the integration of the Serbian community, but rather keeping this community under Belgrade’s influence, isolated from Kosova’s institutional reality and paralyzed by continuous lies and fear.

In the face of this campaign, it is essential for the institutions of the Republic of Kosova, civil society, independent media, and international partners to continue exposing the destabilizing role of actors like Petković by seriously addressing the threat posed by organized Serbian and Russian disinformation and propaganda. /The Balkan Report/