As a political actor in Europe, Russia has long sought to secure a foothold beyond its immediate frontiers in order to project power and challenge the influence of the Euro-Atlantic community. Among its closest partners in this endeavor is Serbia, where the interests of certain political elites converge with those of the Kremlin.
Unlike traditional military operations, Russia’s strength lies in its extensive use of non-military instruments, often described as hybrid warfare. These include cyber operations, disinformation campaigns, political influence, economic leverage, and support for proxy actors. Moscow possesses a wide range of so-called “measures short of war” that it actively deploys, and is willing to share with its allies, in pursuit of both its own strategic objectives and the political ambitions of its partners.
This report examines the strategies, approaches, and methods that Russia has deployed in Ukraine as part of its hybrid warfare and how these tools are being adapted or amplified in the Western Balkans.