Balkan Insight

The former head of the Pristina-based Institute for Advancing Interethnic Relations, Fatmir Sheholli, pleaded not guilty to spying for Serbia's intelligence agency, the BIA.

Hundreds joined the annual Belgrade Pride march, marking a quarter of a century since the first event was held in the Serbian capital in 2001, when it was disrupted by violence.

Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region.

Follow BIRN’s reporters for the latest developments as the wartime Bosnian Serb military chief, who died while serving a life sentence for genocide and crimes against humanity, is buried in the Serbian capital Belgrade.

Seeking to prove to the EU its commitment to root out organised crime, Montenegro has adopted a new law on asset confiscation, but implementation will be key.

Forensic investigations have uncovered Serbia’s largest documented wave of spyware targeting, with student activists and opposition figures among the victims ahead of a high-stakes election - the latest example of the authorities’ hostile use of surveilla…

As anti-government demonstrations in Tirana reach the 100-day mark, four experts discuss how significant the impact on Albanian politics and society will be.

Serbia’s justice minister and the president of Bosnia’s Republika Srpska joined hundreds of people paying tribute to the deceased genocide and war crimes convict Ratko Mladic at the state-owned Army House in Belgrade.

After the EU enlargement commissioner cancels a visit to Belgrade in protest against 'glorification' of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic after his death, President Vucic dismisses her criticism as 'stupid, as usual'.

High-profile former Serbian security figures including Jovica Stanisic and Milorad ‘Legija’ Ulemek are indicted for mass killings in then Kosovo Liberation Army commander's Adem Jashari family compound in 1998.

President Aleksandar Vucic’s trial podcast, featuring well-known basketball coach Miroslav Nikolic, follows an online self-promotion trend embraced by other politicians in the region and beyond.

The death of the convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic is stirring old ghosts across the Balkans.

Icelanders have voted against resuming talks on EU membership.

Bucharest authorities expand investigation into the controversial 'manosphere' influencers, bringing new human trafficking charges against Andrew and Tristan Tate.

Elsewhere, Hungary indicates it might not be the kind of pliant partner the EU had hoped for; draft of Czechia’s 2027 budget met with criticism from all quarters; Slovakia defies Kremlin warning over signing Ukraine compensation convention.

Countries across the Balkan region have increasingly been doing arms deals with Israel and purchasing its military technology – while strengthening political ties too.

A quarter-century after Serbia’s first LGBTQ+ Pride march was violently disrupted, its organisers look back on its legacy – and at what has changed for the community since 2001.

The convicted war criminal’s death is set to overshadow the start of the election campaign - which appears likely to be dominated by familiar themes of nationalism, patronage and recycled promises.

The body of deceased genocide convict Ratko Mladic was flown on a Serbian government plane to Belgrade, where it was met by the Minister of Justice and an honour guard.

Serbia's intelligence agency and President Aleksandar Vucic dismiss claims that student activists and government critics have been targeted with spyware attacks, calling the allegation 'trivial sensationalism'.

Bosnian Serb Davor Savicic, accused of committing war crimes against civilians while fighting alongside Russian forces, failed to appear at his first court hearing in Ukraine, prompting the court to postpone proceedings.

A sharp rise in Russian drone incursions is prompting Moldova and Romania to work more closely with neighbouring Ukraine on producing their own drones to shoot them down.

Two femicides within a week have led to calls for Kosovo to treat gender-based violence as a national emergency.

Croatia is warning Montenegro that the EU won’t import any ‘bilateral disputes’, but are the problems between the ex-Yugoslav neighbours really big enough to block Montenegro’s accession?

Court hands suspended sentenced to 43-year-old Bosnian for glorifying the convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic who died on August 26 while serving a life sentence.

Official tributes to the convicted war criminal, openly glorifying his deeds, are another reminder that Serbia has yet to come to terms with its bloody past.

Prominent NGOs slate law changes allowing construction 'in the public interest' on land recently devastated by wildfires.

Election of new head of state and end to political crisis now looks less likely after several Democratic League of Kosovo MPs said they would not support a joint candidate backed by their party leader.

Hungarians share stories about family breakdowns, painful personal experiences, career endings and loss of loved ones, in an oral history archive chronicling life under Fidesz.

Behind the image of crystal-clear waters, the Ionian and Aegean seabeds in Greece are choking under growing concentrations of waste, particularly plastics.

Lauded by political leaders in North Macedonia, ammunition producer Shefshet Demirovski has twice been embroiled in espionage scandals in neighbouring Serbia, was bailed out by a man later charged with cocaine smuggling, yet enjoys a slice of the NATO arms

A recent disinformation campaign claimed Poland was about to occupy Czech territory, putting Prague’s response to hybrid threats to the test.

A Serbian court has once again postponed the opening of the trial of 12 activists accused of plotting the overthrow of the authorities ahead of a mass protest in Belgrade in March 2025.

Observing Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic on trial while working at the Hague Tribunal, I no longer saw a ‘symbol of absolute evil’ but a defendant whose responsibility for his crimes had to be established.

Former interim prime minister ends months of speculation over his presidential ambitions, meaning he will likely be the main rival to Iliana Iotova in the October polls.

Police say a Russian national suspected of shooting dead three Montenegrins at a firing range killed himself after being located in a wooded area in Herceg Novi.

A predominance of young trees and limited water resources are compounding the effects of climate change at Tirana Zoo.

A BIRN analysis shows Montenegro’s government and Environmental Protection Agency are waving through solar power projects despite warnings of damage to potential conservation areas and endangered species.

Two women who survived the crimes committed by Ratko Mladic’s forces during the 1992-95 war explain how his death last week brought new distress as young Serbs in Bosnia glorified his legacy.

Saying “he had crossed a line”, Montenegro’s biggest opposition party is seeking the dismissal of parliamentary speaker Andrija Mandic after he expressed condolences on the death of genocide convict Ratko Mladic.

Kosovo's governing Vetevendosje party and opposition Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK agreed on a joint presidential candidate - which could end the country's political deadlock and allow a new parliament to be constituted.

Two Kosovo Serbs pleaded guilty to violating the constitutional order by participating in setting up roadblocks and barricades in the Serb-majority north of the country during protests in 2022.