This paper examines how the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) is portrayed in existing research and media discourse, primarily as a major conduit of Russian influence in the Western Balkans through narratives tied to the Kremlin’s “Russian World” project and hybrid warfare activities.

This publication assesses how six external actors - Russia, China, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Israel, and Azerbaijan - engage with the Western Balkans (WB) and how such engagement affects the European Union (EU) enlargement process.

The concept of the “colour revolution” has shifted from describing democratic uprisings in post-socialist states to serving as a powerful tool of authoritarian control. In Serbia, the ruling elite—drawing heavily on the Russian strategic playbook—has reframed the term as a symbol of foreign subversion aimed at overthrowing the government and destabilising the country. Since 2012, this narrative has been systematically used to delegitimise dissent, protests, and civic mobilisation.

The war in Ukraine has reverberated across the Western Balkans in ways that reflect the region’s own political dynamics more than the influence of any external actor, including Russia. In Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, media coverage and public narratives surrounding the conflict have been shaped primarily by domestic political realities, local media structures, and long-standing identity divides.

An analysis of nine far-right Telegram channels from Serbia, conducted during June and July 2025, shows that although these actors are numerically limited, they exert significant influence in spreading nationalist, pro-Russian, and anti-system narratives.

In the past decade, European countries have witnessed a rise in anti-establishment extremism (AEE), which challenges the modern democratic order and offers authoritarian modes of governance as a “solution” to consecutive, overlapping crises.

The Civil Committee for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Whistleblowers strongly condemns the threats directed at journalist Vuk Cvijić, which occurred on December 17 and were allegedly triggered by an article he wrote for the weekly Radar.

Belgrade Centre for Security Policy awards the 2025 "Lighthouse" Award to Irena Joveva, member of the European Parliament from the Republic of Slovenia.

The Integrity Network strongly condemns the appointment of Igor Žmirić as commander of the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit (SAJ), warning that this move turns one of Serbia’s elite police formations into the President’s personal guard, rather than a service for all citizens.