Buzhala’s War on Truth and Trust

Berat Buzhala’s media theatrics echo Russian disinformation tactics, weaponising despair to sabotage Kosovo’s democracy from within, while shielding corrupt elites fleeing justice.

It was during a moment of quiet reflection, as I sat mourning Ukraine's latest political wound¹ and wrapping up my dispatch from Albania's elections, that Berat Buzhala re-emerged with another venomous spit of psychological manipulation disguised as journalism. A man who long ago forfeited his claim to the dignity of that profession, Buzhala, with his deep ties to organised crime and sanctioned figures², dropped a new video post, crafted not merely as commentary, but as an ideological weapon aimed squarely at the statehood of Kosovo. Delivered in the guise of a despondent monologue, his message was clear: Kosovo, its institutions, its people, its very birth, are a mistake.

In the video³, Buzhala's mimics are meticulously choreographed to project faux sincerity and authority. With exaggerated hand gestures, forming circles with his fingers, clasping his palms, and hammering invisible points in the air, he mimics the cadence of a concerned pedagogue rather than a provocateur. His facial exp…