Inside the Disinformation Machine
From Crime to Covert Operations: The Rise of Halit Sahitaj in Targeting Kosovo's Special Chambers Tribunal. The GPC I Unit traced the Criminal Turned Operative's Path in Disinformation Warfare.
An unexpected Facebook message1 from an account named “Laky Laky” set off an investigation that exposed an intricate network of misinformation aimed at obstructing Kosovo’s war crimes tribunal. This was no random encounter. The sender, later identified as Halit Sahitaj, had a long and troubled history with international law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and organised crime. Official records reveal his involvement in extortion, fraud, and manipulation, spanning Spain, Monaco, Kosovo, Germany, Switzerland and Russia. But beyond his criminal background, Sahitaj’s interactions and financial dealings point to a deeper game: an orchestrated campaign designed to manipulate judicial proceedings at The Hague to favour specific political and geopolitical interests.
This article delves into the extensive network orchestrating misinformation, leveraging financial incentives, and employing coercion to subvert justice.
Based on recorded conversations, leaked documents, and confidential intelligence reports, our investigation has documented a concerted effort to compromise Kosovo's judicial integrity and reshape historical narratives for apparent geopolitical advantages. Central to this operation are Halit Sahitaj and Milaim Zeka, the latter of whom adopts various professional identities as required. Despite their denials, evidence from our thorough investigations suggests a partnership that extends beyond professional ties.
Our investigation, which included scrutinising Zeka's social media activities and direct inquiries to Sahitaj, indicates that Sahitaj's strategies may involve fabricating evidence, a tactic seemingly refined by Zeka. It appears that their aim is to undermine the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague by levelling baseless accusations against its prosecutor, Jack Smith, and disparaging a figure they refer to as Faik Imeri, whose existence remains unverified.
Moreover, Zeka reportedly uses a document2 that he alternately describes as investigative journalism or a U.S. government report, claims that are unsubstantiated. John F. Moynihan, the author cited by Zeka, has explicitly refuted Zeka’s and his team’s assertions in his whistleblower complaint, stating:
"Finding myself in possession of these serious allegations and being unable to investigate or corroborate them further, I bring this information to your attention because your office has access to the information, the ability to obtain additional information, and the authority to investigate this matter." — Page 13 “Whistleblower Complaint” by John F. Moynihan 118 Pages Report.
It appears that Zeka, supported by what seems to be his disinformation network involving his wife and certain media outlets including Top Channel3 and KLAN Kosova4, is persistently disseminating misleading claims, including the unfounded assertion that the KSC was established by Serbia5. This is particularly ironic considering that their associates, now defendants at the KSC, not only advocated for its establishment in 2015 but also exerted pressure on MPs who were initially reluctant to endorse it.
This narrative is part of a broader investigation into the manipulation of Kosovo's judicial processes and the influence of external actors on its political landscape.
The Many Faces of Halit Sahitaj: A Criminal, a Fixer, and a Political Manipulator
Leaked documents to Gunpowder Chronicles place Halit Sahitaj at the center of a sophisticated financial and political network stretching across multiple jurisdictions. He was first detained in Spain on December 20, 2020, following a court-ordered search of properties linked to organised crime and extortion6. His activities attracted the attention of authorities in Monaco, where police summoned him for questioning on January 12, 2020, over allegations of blackmail, harassment, and defamation7. While released from detention in April 2021, he remained under legal scrutiny and was placed under house arrest. Despite this, he continued to operate in secrecy, using encrypted communications and aliases. Intelligence reports also link him to Igor Vladislavovich, a Russian operative connected to the GRU8, reinforcing suspicions of a larger strategic effort to disrupt judicial accountability in Kosovo9.
Leaked intelligence reports confirm that in late 2020, Sahitaj was seen in Zurich, Switzerland, meeting with Igor Vladislavovich, an operative linked to the Russian GRU. This meeting occurred just weeks before Sahitaj’s arrest in Spain on December 20, 2020, following an investigation into international extortion and money laundering networks. Surveillance reports suggest that Sahitaj’s Zurich meeting was not an isolated incident but part of a broader operation to coordinate financial and intelligence activities across Europe. His arrest may have been a preemptive move by law enforcement to disrupt an ongoing intelligence operation linked to Russian influence in the Balkans.
A file leaked from Spanish investigators details multiple aliases, criminal records, and financial irregularities indicative of high-level corruption and intelligence collaboration.
Halit Sahitaj’s sudden appearance in my inbox, the unsolicited request for contact, the carefully curated introductions, none of it felt accidental. In the world of investigative journalism, such encounters raise questions before they provide answers.
His Facebook account, a barren landscape devoid of personal posts, provided little insight into the man reaching out. His friend list, though visible, was of no immediate consequence. What mattered was the first direct exchange. On January 21, 2025, Halit Sahitaj made contact. His opening move was a simple Facebook message, followed by a call on Signal, a seven-minute conversation recorded on my end, without his knowledge.
“I just wanted to give you some compliments,” he began, his voice casual but charged with intent. “You’re hitting the mark like a preacher! By God, bravo.” He laughed.
The pleasantries quickly gave way to weightier subjects. Sahitaj spoke with a certainty that suggested inside knowledge of political manoeuvrings at the highest levels. He named names, dropping references to Kosovo’s political elite, American diplomats, and figures from the intelligence community. Richard Grenell10, former U.S. ambassador, acting director of National Intelligence Agency and Trump loyalist, featured prominently in his narrative.
But who was Halit Sahitaj?
He painted himself as a man with access, a fixer, a broker of sensitive information. At one point, he described himself as a “spy for The Hague,” an informant with knowledge of affairs that spanned from Washington to Prishtina. He claimed to hold key documents implicating Grenell in secret dealings with Russian oligarchs, intelligence agencies, and war criminals.
The calls kept coming. On January 22, he spoke for eighteen minutes, pushing a document he claimed had been passed to him by sources within Ukraine’s secret services11. “One million percent, this is a true document,” he insisted. The claim was bold. Too bold. And, as any journalist knows, the more certainty with which information is presented, the more scrutiny it demands.
Sahitaj spoke in fragments of intelligence jargon, the kind designed to impress rather than inform. He hinted at his own power, at his direct connections to money, influence, and men with the ability to shape events from the shadows. When asked about his ties, he wavered, weaving between statements of detachment and admissions of involvement. “I have contact with everyone,” he said at one point. “I don’t know Patrick Byrne personally12,” he said in another breath, only to later confirm he had seen documents linking Byrne to political operatives working in Eastern Europe.
The stories were layered, tangled in a web of political intrigue, financial corruption, and power plays.
By January 29, his approach had shifted. He spoke about offering me financial support of £5,000, maybe £15,000 he said on another audio call. It was a gesture, he claimed, to acknowledge my professionalism, to “help” my publication. “There was nothing with bad intentions,” he assured me. But money from an unknown source is never neutral.
His last call, on February 12, was the most revealing. The mask slipped. He knew he was being accused of operating on behalf of Russian oligarchs, facilitating intelligence leaks that could shift the balance of power in Kosovo and beyond. When pressed, he dodged, deflected.
“I’m just a witness,” he said.
By January 2025, the pattern was clear: Sahitaj was not just an informant, he was a strategic operator navigating a landscape of intelligence manipulation, political corruption, and financial power. His previous arrests, house arrest, and confirmed links to Russian operatives suggested that he was deeply embedded in a system far more complex than mere criminality. Whether he was executing a geopolitical agenda or playing his own game, one thing remained certain: his approach to me was no accident. And when someone like him comes knocking, it is never without a reason.
A Life Built on Secrets, Power, and Deception
The deeper we looked into Halit Sahitaj, the less solid the ground beneath him seemed. His name, already a chameleon shifting through political intrigue, now unraveled into something else entirely, a man of many faces, many lives, many lies and many secrets.
According to Spanish authorities, Sahitaj was not just a broker of whispered political transactions; he was a man of multiple identities, his existence fractured across official records. Seven different names, five separate arrests, and a prison history that stretched back decades. In one iteration, he was Halit Maasen, detained under a National Court warrant in 1996. In another, he was an inmate in Madrid’s Soto del Real prison in both 2006 and 2007. A shapeshifter, capable of slipping in and out of legal scrutiny.
More than just aliases, Sahitaj’s movements suggested something more complex, something more orchestrated. His primary mode of communication was encrypted messaging, and his digital footprint was carefully curated, sanitised of anything personal, anything revealing. His conversations weren’t just private; they were designed to be impenetrable.
He wasn’t acting alone: One name that surfaced repeatedly in the Spanish intelligence dossier was Toomas Mandmets, a key executor of Sahitaj’s operations. Their exchanges, frequent and deliberate, hinted at an enterprise built on secrecy and deception. A forensic report cited one intercepted communication in which Mandmets coordinated the extortion of an individual in Monaco, tracking him, gathering information, and preparing for the next step.
Sahitaj’s tactics weren’t just about careful secrecy; they were about coercion, pressure, and, when necessary, direct threats.
Spanish police reports described his involvement in falsifying official documents, manufacturing fake medical reports, bribing officials to create records that didn’t exist, doctoring PCR test results so he could travel undetected. These weren’t the acts of a careless opportunist but of a man who had built a career out of bending reality to his will.
Extortion was his primary currency: One Monaco-based victim came forward to Spanish authorities, alleging that Sahitaj personally contacted him, demanding a significant sum of money. The details were consistent with other testimonies, victims who feared the kind of retaliation that came with crossing a man like him. The allegations painted a portrait of a figure deeply embedded in a network that thrived on intimidation.
There was more: Authorities in Spain had him under surveillance for years. One such operation, conducted on June 2, recorded him engaging in what the report called "evasive maneuvers." He had been seen moving toward a meeting with Mandmets, but his actions were erratic, looping streets, doubling back, scanning the area. He wasn’t just cautious. He was acting like a man who knew he was being watched.
By the time we reached this point in our research, we understood that Sahitaj’s world was not just about political dealings, it extended into organised crime, into high-level corruption that spanned across borders.
The Spanish authorities’ report indicated that Sahitaj had no verifiable legal income. Yet, his lifestyle in Spain suggested significant financial backing. Surveillance logs documented multiple meetings with Aleksei Lagunin, a Russian financier linked to high-value transactions. Spanish investigators according to the leaked document noted that these interactions suggested "economic protection," indicating that Sahitaj’s financial stability was not self-made but rather the result of external backing with geopolitical implications. The relationship between Sahitaj and Lagunin was close, investigators noted, their conversations laced with indications of “economic protection.”
In practical terms, this meant Sahitaj didn’t just have money, he had backing.
The report’s financial analysis concluded that his economic status was “far above the possibilities” of someone who, according to official sources, had no legitimate income stream. The implication was clear: his wealth came from somewhere else, somewhere off the books.
It wasn’t just money: At one point, authorities uncovered communications in which Sahitaj claimed to have the ability to release prisoners. In one recorded conversation, he told an associate that he could help free a Russian national from prison.
“Yes, I can help him,” he was quoted saying. “Release him.”
This was more than just empty talk. His influence stretched deep, far beyond casual political manoeuvring.
The leaked evidence laid out a figure who had mastered the art of operating within the shadows, a man who, despite his criminal history, continued to move freely between countries, between networks, between power structures. His world was built on controlled deception, and yet, the cracks were showing.
Halit Sahitaj is wanted in multiple countries, including Germany, where he has been declared persona non grata. If captured there, he faces immediate arrest and deportation, sources say. In Kosovo, authorities have also issued warrants for his arrest on allegations of manipulation, blackmail, money laundering, and threats against officials. However, due to Spain’s non-recognition of Kosovo, extradition remains legally impossible, allowing him to evade justice. Additionally, he is wanted in Monte Carlo, Monaco and Switzerland further cementing his status as an international fugitive.
For the first time, the question wasn’t just why Halit Sahitaj had reached out to me.
The real question was: Who was he running from?
Halit Sahitaj’s transition from organised crime to intelligence operations positions him as a key figure in Kosovo’s disinformation war. Legal and intelligence reports link him to extortion, financial crimes, and Russian-backed influence campaigns. His connections to GRU operatives and figures like Georgian-Russian Zakhar Kalashov suggest that he is more than just a criminal—he is an operative, leveraging misinformation and judicial manipulation to destabilise Kosovo’s legal and political landscape13.
How Russian Intelligence Used Sahitaj for Kosovo Destabilisation
Halit Sahitaj’s Ties to Russian Espionage and Organised Crime: Halit Sahitaj’s legal records do not merely suggest a criminal background, they demonstrate a consistent pattern of fraud, extortion, and intelligence-linked activities. Spanish authorities identified him as a key figure in a transnational criminal network that included multiple aliases, financial manipulations, and ties to individuals under Russian intelligence influence14. Surveillance footage documented his interactions with Aleksei Lagunin, a Russian financier suspected of laundering money for intelligence-linked operations. This was not merely about corruption, it was about orchestrating disinformation and legal disruptions to serve broader political agendas in Kosovo and beyond.
In December 2020, a summons from the Monaco Police Judiciaire required Sahitaj to appear for questioning regarding allegations of blackmail, defamation, harassment, and threats. The official document listed his location as Dominion Beach, Cabrillas, Spain, while also linking him to his birthplace, Istok, Serbia, a city in the present-day western region of Peja, Republic of Kosovo - [according to his Serbian ID card, obtained from sources verified by Gunpowder Chronicles] 15- suggesting a deep-rooted past stretching across political fault lines in the Balkans. It was one thing to be a career fixer with a criminal portfolio. It was another to be an operative straddling the worlds of diplomacy, espionage, and illicit networks.
Then came the critical connection: Igor Vladislavovich.
A Russian intelligence operative with direct ties to Vladimir Alekseev, a high-ranking officer of the GRU (Chief of Russia’s Military Intelligence Agency), Vladislavovich wasn’t just another name. He was a link to something bigger, something far more dangerous.
Switzerland : The Meeting Before the Arrest
Photographic evidence placed Halit Sahitaj in Switzerland, between November and December 2020, seen engaged in discussion with Igor Vladislavovich. The timing was crucial, just days before Sahitaj’s arrest in Spain on December 20, 2020.
In intelligence work, meetings like these are rarely incidental. The question wasn’t just what they discussed, but whether they were setting something in motion.
According to intelligence reports, Vladislavovich was not acting alone. He was an intermediary for his cousin, Vladimir Alekseev, a key figure in Russian intelligence operations, particularly those targeting adversaries of the Kremlin. Alekseev’s network of intelligence assets frequently recruited criminally connected individuals with loose ties to Russia, individuals whose affiliations blurred the line between organised crime and state-sanctioned operations.
Sahitaj, it turned out, fit this profile perfectly: A Kosovo-born operator with deep financial connections, multiple identities, and a Russian-Ukrainian spouse, he moved fluidly between circles that few could navigate, Western Europe’s criminal underworld, Balkan politics, and now, the intelligence corridors of Moscow.
A Pattern of Influence and Escape
It wasn’t just the Swiss meeting that raised alarms. It was the pattern.
Sahitaj had spent years orchestrating influence, dodging legal consequences, and accumulating power through networks that often intersected with Russian intelligence fronts. His link to Vladislavovich, who intelligence reports indicated was operating under Alekseev’s direct orders, suggested he was more than just a well-connected figure in organised crime, he was an asset.
The intelligence trail didn’t stop at one meeting.
Vladislavovich’s movements were carefully tracked. Intelligence sources confirmed that he spent time in London, Switzerland, and Russia, coordinating operations that involved illicit financial movements and intelligence sharing. His British residency and frequent travels to Switzerland indicated that he wasn’t merely a field agent, he was an orchestrator, a handler, someone positioned to oversee long-term operations.
And in that framework, Sahitaj’s role became increasingly suspect.
The Arrest in Spain: A Coincidence or a Calculated Move?
Sahitaj’s arrest on December 20, 2020, in Spain was more than just a criminal case, it was a high-stakes move by law enforcement, possibly aimed at dismantling a GRU-linked network operating across Western Europe. His links to financial fraud, political extortion, and Russian-backed intelligence operations had put him under extensive surveillance. His arrest may not have been an isolated crackdown but rather a calculated disruption of an intelligence network.
But another possibility loomed large: Had his arrest been preemptive, a move to disrupt an ongoing intelligence operation?
Had Sahitaj’s association with Vladislavovich triggered a high-level response from law enforcement agencies trying to dismantle a GRU-linked network operating in Western Europe?
The fact that documentation confirmed his arrest and linked him to Russian intelligence operatives suggested that intelligence agencies had long been monitoring his movements. The Swiss meetings may have been the final piece of the puzzle, sealing his fate.
But there was one final question that lingered: If Sahitaj had been neutralised, what was he planning before his arrest? And more importantly, who was still out there, picking up where he left off?
The War on Kosovo’s Justice: Kosovo’s war crimes tribunal, established to hold former leaders accountable, has been the target of sustained attacks from political and intelligence-linked actors seeking to dismantle its authority. This operation involves a network of journalists, political figures, and foreign operatives, including:
Berat Buzhala: A Kosovo-based journalist with ties to organised crime16, known for spreading pro-Serbian narratives.
Fitim Çeku: A media operative amplifying Grenell’s political messaging and discrediting The Hague tribunal17.
Baton Haxhiu: An intelligence-linked media figure with suspected ties to Serbian operatives18.
Artan Behrami: A former journalist turned political operative, implicated in judicial interference19.
Elmi Reçica, a Kosovo MP from the former ruling PDK party, is the second-in-command of the SHIK intelligence network, which was outlawed by the EU. However, many believe it remains fully operational in Kosovo.
Milaim Zeka appears to play a coordinating role in Sahitaj’s media and messaging efforts. Zeka's pivotal role in shaping narratives significantly affects Kosovo's political and judicial landscapes, making him a key figure in influencing the outcomes of war crimes tribunals. Our findings also reveal that both Zeka and Sahitaj frequently involve their families in their operations, with Sahitaj’s son also playing a role.
This network has been instrumental in orchestrating a disinformation campaign designed to weaken judicial accountability and sway public perception in favour of individuals facing war crimes and political assassination charges.
What’s Next?
The dismantling of Kosovo’s war crimes tribunal is not merely a legal matter, it is a geopolitical battle with far-reaching implications. The actors involved in this effort are leveraging every tool at their disposal, from misinformation to legislative manoeuvring, to ensure that accountability is undermined.
As this investigation continues, the next article will expose the full extent of Sahitaj’s connections, revealing the key players behind the scenes and their ultimate objectives.
Coming Next: Who is Halit Sahgitaj’s Network?
Stay tuned.
Edited by London-based editor Michael Sheppard, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and precision throughout.
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Inside the Plot to Dismantle Kosovo’s War Crimes Tribunal
The Bribe That Unveiled a Conspiracy: In January, a deceptive outreach from a Facebook user named 'Laky Laky' quickly escalated beyond simple flattery about my investigative work. What began as praise for my reports on geopolitical manoeuvring soon revealed a sinister attempt to manipulate my reporting with fabricated intelligence.
EKSKLUZIVE! GRENELL merr në dorëzim AUDIOPËRGJIMIN që FUNDOS JACK SMITH/ LIROHET HASHIM THAÇI? — Top Channel.
‘Kërko Falje, Mos u zgerdhi kur përmend emrin tim’ I Pafytyrë, Zeka i kthehet ashpër Jakupit — KLAN Kosova.
Gjykata Speciale është produkt i kazanit ruso-serb! — Gazeta Shqiptare [PDF File].
Is Grenell Engineering Another Political Coup? — The GPC I Unit.
Patrick Byrne portraying Halit Sahitaj as a ‘Hero’ — PB X Post [PDF to Patrick Byrne X Post].
Patrick Byrne lauds Halit Sahitaj on social media, describing him as "a hero whose bravery helped save our Republic," crediting Sahitaj's affidavit for enabling a crucial whistleblower lawsuit that undermined Jack Smith's investigation. Due to concerns that Mr. Byrne may remove this post, we have securely stored it for archival purposes.
© The GPC I unit.