Buzhala’s Maskirovka: How a Media Spin Seeks to Shield Arsenijevic’s Provocations

Berat Buzhala’s defence of Arsenijevic mirrors Russian Maskirovka: obscuring truth, deflecting accountability, and crafting narratives that blur the lines between fact and fiction.

In the labyrinth of Kosovo's political drama, new characters emerge with old narratives. This time, it’s Aleksandar Arsenijevic, a figure being carefully groomed by Belgrade to step into the shoes of Milan Radoicic—a man infamous for orchestrating violent provocations in northern Kosovo. But as the dust settles around Arsenijevic's image holding an AK-47, a familiar playbook reopens: deny, distract, and dismiss. The noise around this image, claimed to be from a decade-old film scene titled "Miscommunication," is only the latest attempt to muddy the waters of accountability.

Scene 1: Enter the Director

Nenad Todorovic, the director of "Miscommunication," a supposed anti-war film shot in Kosovska Mitrovica, rushes to Arsenijevic’s defence, branding the image as a "blatant example of brutal forgery." He insists that the AK-47 in the shot is a cheap replica, a toy bought for €25 in Pristina, wielded by Arsenijevic in the fictional role of "Aleksa." The narrative quickly spins towards a defe…