Balkan Spectator - News & Geopolitics

—🇬🇷 WATCH: Evzones of the Presidential Guard raised the Greek flag at the Acropolis, marking 82 years since Athens was liberated from Nazi occupation on 12 October 1944. ➡️ The ceremony honours those who lived through the occupation and those who resisted it. 🔗 Greek City Times · 🔗 Reuters ✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—❗️🇦🇱 Albania cuts municipalities from 61 to 46 amid parliamentary chaos ➡️ The new map merges 15 municipalities with larger neighbours and is expected to be used in the 2027 local elections. ➡️ During the vote, opposition MP Gazment Bardhi threw water towards former Deputy PM Belinda Balluku, while other opposition MPs threw bottles towards PM Edi Rama. ➡️ The Democratic Party opposes the reform and accuses the governing Socialists of redrawing the map to their electoral advantage. 🔗 Source · 🔗 kos_data ✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—❗️🇷🇸❌🇽🇰🇺🇸 Vučić calls US congressman Joe Wilson a “mercenary” ➡️ Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić criticised a joint electoral list formed by Albanian parties in southern Serbia, singling out its leader, Shaip Kamberi. ➡️ He claimed Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti and other foreign actors had helped bring the parties together. ➡️ Vučić also called US Congressman Joe Wilson a “mercenary” and alleged that he was being paid to promote the Preševo Valley issue internationally. ⚠️ He provided no evidence for the payment allegation. 🔗 Admirim · 🔗 Further reporting ✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—✝️ 🇭🇷🇭🇷/🇻🇦🇻🇦 WATCH: The Sinj Alka Knights’ Association visited the Vatican, where they were received by Pope Leo XIV. ➡️ The Sinjska Alka is a centuries-old Croatian equestrian tradition held every August in the town of Sinj, commemorating the 1715 victory over the Ottoman Empire. 🔗 The Voice of Croatia ✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—❗️🇲🇩/🇷🇴 Sandu says Moldova would be safer united with Romania ➡️ At the Moldova Security Forum, President Maia Sandu said growing security threats have renewed discussion of reunification. ➡️ She cited Moldova’s history and said supporters back the idea for reasons of identity, economics and security. ➡️ Sandu stressed that unification would require majority support, which opinion polls do not currently show. 🔗 Source · Forum broadcast ✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—❗️🇧🇦🇺🇸/🇧🇦 FT Exclusive: "Susie Wiles's daughter is a partner at Continental Strategy, which signed a $35,000-a-month contract to represent Republika Srpska, the Balkan entity at the centre of a new dispute about conflicts of interest inside the White House." ✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

🇮🇹 In Venice, local boatmen started a brutal fighter over who gets the clients.

—👑 🇷🇸 WATCH: Prince Filip Karađorđević visited the tomb of his great-grandfather, King Alexander I of Yugoslavia, on Friday, the 92nd anniversary of his assassination in Marseille. ➡️ Filip called for greater recognition of Alexander’s legacy and said preserving the memory of earlier generations was a responsibility of the Karađorđević family. 🔗 Prince Filip’s statement ✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

🇹🇷 In Istanbul, a ship crashed straight in a 200yo historical building.

—🇧🇬 The Rodopa meat factory in Sofia, Bulgaria, opened in 1934 and became one of the city's largest meat processing plants. Sadly, the building is now abandoned and falling apart. 🔗 една българка ✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇭🇷🤝🇰🇷 NEW: Croatian PM Andrej Plenković met South Korean National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik in Zagreb to discuss trade. ➡️ Their talks also covered defense cooperation, including Croatia’s previously signed agreement with Hanwha Aerospace to acquire K239 Chunmoo rocket systems and CTM-X missiles. ℹ️ Information reported by our source in Croatia. 🔗 Croatian government · Croatian PM ✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇧🇦🇧🇦/🇮🇱 NEW: SNSD leader Milorad Dodik thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for congratulating his party on its election victory. ➡️ He described the friendship between Serbs and Jews as “an alliance of peoples” and said he looked forward to cooperation in technology, energy and security. 🔗 Dodik’s statement ✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

🇦🇱 Mayor of Tirana (capital of Albania) started to rule over the city and address its residents using an AI avatar while he himself is staying in prison where he was put for a series financial crimes.

—💸🇷🇴 Romania has EU's highest crypto ownership rate, financial regulator says ➡️ Nearly 15% of Romanians (around 2.9 million people) hold crypto-assets worth an estimated €12 billion, according to the country's Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF). ➡️ The figure compares with approximately 325,000 stock market investors. ➡️ The estimated ownership rate could reach 27–28% by 2030. 🔗 Ziarul Financiar · Brave Romania ✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—❗️🇷🇺/🇧🇦/🇷🇸 NEW: Rybar’s Balkan links draw attention after Montenegro’s expulsion order. ➡️ The Rybar founder, Mikhail Zvinchuk, discussed plans for a media school with a government agency in Republika Srpska in 2024, according to an earlier Detektor investigation. ➡️ The agency confirmed that an agreement was being prepared, but Detektor could not establish whether it was signed or whether the school opened. ➡️ A separate BIRN Serbia investigation found that Rybar had shared content from the Serbian portal Eagle Eye Explore, whose articles were also republished by outlets in Serbia, Republika Srpska and Montenegro. 🔗 Detektor · BIRN Serbia · Vijesti ✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

🇷🇺❌🇪🇺 — Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on the arrest of Mikhail Zvinchuk in Montenegro:

Of course, our people are wandering around European countries in vain. Albeit with good intentions and important goals. Potentially for everyone (I emphasize – for everyone) The Russians are being hunted. Neither visas, invitations, nor any other guarantees can save. Anyone can be arrested, especially if they are telling the truth about Western countries, the EU and the Bandera neo-Nazi regime. Only relocant scum are welcome. And that's only temporary. Now, it is likely that you will need to replenish the exchange fund from European and American morons in order to get your own out. There is no other way: to live with wolves is to howl like a wolf…

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—🇲🇪/🇷🇺 URGENT: Montenegrin police say they have cancelled the stay of Rybar founder Mikhail Zvinchuk, his wife Valeria and three other Russian nationals, and issued expulsion orders on national and internal security grounds. ➡️ Police say they seized a drone, cameras, phones and other digital equipment for examination. ➡️ Rybar maintains that its team was in Montenegro legally to film and denies breaking local law. ➡️ Authorities have announced the expulsion orders, but have not confirmed that the five have left the country. 🔗 Montenegro’s public broadcaster, citing the police statement ✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—What is Rybar? ➡️ Rybar is a Russian Telegram-based media and analysis project focused mainly on military affairs, geopolitics and international conflicts. It became especially prominent during the conflict in Ukraine through its battlefield maps, military updates and commentary, and has since expanded its coverage to other regions, including the Balkans, Africa and the Middle East. ➡️ The project is associated with Mikhail Zvinchuk, a former employee of the Russian Defence Ministry’s press service. ➡️ Rybar presents itself as an independent military-analytical platform, while critics and some Western governments describe it as part of the broader Russian pro-Kremlin information space. ✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—❗️🇲🇪/🇷🇺 Montenegro detains Rybar founder ➡️ Montenegrin security services detained Mikhail Zvinchuk, his wife and three associates in Risan on Friday. Prime Minister Milojko Spajić confirmed the operation and pointed to concerns about hybrid activities aimed at destabilising Montenegro. Vijesti reported that officers found drones and digital equipment. ➡️ Security sources told Vijesti the group planned a documentary about Montenegro’s move to align its visa rules with the EU. Rybar confirmed the detentions but says its team was in the country legally and had requested permission to film Cetinje Monastery. It denies breaking local law. ➡️ Russian officials say diplomats are seeking an explanation and working to protect the detainees’ rights. Montenegro has not publicly announced specific charges or an extradition request. 🔗 Vijesti · Rybar · Reuters ✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇷🇸 If peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine were to be organized in Serbia: 🔗 Моја Српска ✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English