09.12.2025

Russian Influence in the Balkans

Russian influence in the Western Balkans, especially in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina/Republika Srpska, is not the product of a single lever of power, but of a symbiosis of influence in three key areas: the media ecosystem (RT/Sputnik and local amplifiers), political symbolism and diplomatic networks (official visits, embassy statements), and cultural and identity-based affinity (film festivals, the Russian House, the Orthodox connection).

This symbiosis allows Moscow to maintain a steady presence in public opinion and political processes at relatively low cost, especially through war propaganda that blends global themes into a local historical context (“Kosovo is Ukraine,” “The West threatens Serbs just as it threatens Russians”). 

Download the publication in English here.

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
FES u Bosni i Hercegovini

FES Sarajevo
Kupreška 20
71000 Sarajevo
+387 33 / 722 010
+387 33 / 613 505

FES Banja Luka
Petra I Karađorđevića 111
78000 Banja Luka
+387 51 / 328 360
+387 51 / 328 361
bih(at)fes.de