Russia’s Balkan Approaches

Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia’s involvement in Eastern Europe has garnered greater attention. Unlike the brutal territorial conquest and destruction seen in Ukraine, Russia’s methods in southeastern Europe are more subtle, using information and psychological warfare techniques rather than traditional military power. In the western Balkans, Russia has cultivated an alliance with the authoritarian president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, aimed at destabilizing the region’s fragile states and embarrassing or distracting NATO and the West.