Why Russia Today Launched a Smear Campaign Against Me
Russia Today Serbia isn’t defending Serbia, it’s defending Moscow’s fiction, attacking journalism, and denying Serbia’s alignment with Russia as if facts are threats to their survival.
In an era where truth itself is under siege, the role of journalism becomes not just necessary but existential. When Russia Today Serbia (RTS) launched its vitriolic attack on my exclusive report1 about Maher Al-Assad’s alleged refuge in Serbia2, it revealed far more about itself than about the facts I reported. Their piece was a tangled mess of accusations, diversions, and thinly veiled propaganda, a classic play from the Kremlin’s disinformation manual. This is not new; this is not surprising. But it must be confronted.
Who is Russia Today Serbia?
Russia Today, or RT, is a global media arm of the Russian government, funded and controlled directly by the Kremlin. Its mission is not to inform but to manipulate, to muddy waters, to conflate truth with lies so that readers throw up their hands in despair, wondering if facts even exist.
In Serbia, RT Serbia amplifies this strategy, capitalising on Belgrade’s increasingly close ties with Moscow3. Since September 2022, when Serbia signed a foreign policy coordination agreement with Russia, President Aleksandar Vucic’s administration has been walking an increasingly fine line between its ambitions for European Union membership and its deepening relationships with Russia4, Iran5 and China6. For RTS, Serbia’s alignment with Moscow isn’t reality—it’s denied, just like Putin’s war in Ukraine is cast as anything but war.
To RTS, journalists like myself are enemies, not because we are aligned with any government but because we report truths that challenge the Kremlin’s carefully curated fiction.
The Attack: Baseless Claims and Twisting of Facts
Let us address RTS’s main claims and distortions, point by point:
The Maher Al-Assad Allegation
RT Serbia derided my report7 into Maher Al-Assad’s alleged presence in Serbia, dismissing it as "fantasy" while accusing me of fabricating my Turkish source. The reality is far simpler: my source is a senior official within Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, someone whose credibility was independently verified prior to publication. The intelligence aligns with other reports from reputable outlets like the Australian Broadcasting Corporation8, which suggested Maher Al-Assad’s movements through Lebanon as well as Time Turk9 confirming the allegations.
RT’s strategy here is to ridicule while providing no evidence of its own to refute my claims. Ridicule is a hallmark of disinformation, a tactic aimed not at disproving facts but at undermining confidence in the journalist.
Alleged Ties to Vetëvendosje and Albin Kurti
RT Serbia’s attempt to link me with Kosovo’s ruling party, Vetëvendosje, is laughable. For a media outlet accustomed to functioning as a propaganda machine, it’s unfathomable that a journalist could operate with integrity, free from governmental influence. Unlike RTS, I don’t serve politicians, I hold them accountable.
The accusations are baseless because RTS cannot comprehend journalism that investigates without bias. They cannot imagine a government that is not corrupt or corruptible, because such independence doesn’t exist in the world they operate in.
The Aleksandar Arsenijevic Diversion
RT Serbia’s attempt to discredit me by referencing Aleksandar Arsenijevic is particularly revealing. They accused me of spreading misinformation about him, but conveniently ignored my detailed investigation10 into his links with Serbian clandestine operations11.
My reporting, based on evidence and multiple verifiable sources, painted Arsenijevic not as the innocent victim RTS portrays but as a figure entwined in Belgrade’s destabilising activities in northern Kosovo. Let me remind them:
Photographic evidence places Arsenijevic alongside individuals like Marjan Radojevic and Blagoje Spasojevic, key figures in the Banjska attacks of September 202312 — a Serbian-backed paramilitary assault aimed at annexing northern Kosovo.
Danijel (Dejan) Djukic, tied to drug trafficking and declared a terrorist by Kosovar authorities, is also linked to Arsenijevic through both local sources and social media accounts.
RT Serbia’s denial of these findings does not negate their validity. Their silence on Arsenijevic’s connections speaks volumes.
RT’s Reluctance to Acknowledge Serbian-Russian Alignment
RT Serbia’s failure to acknowledge Serbia’s September 2022 foreign policy alignment agreement with Russia13 is deliberate. The agreement formalised Serbia’s diplomatic ties to Moscow, yet RTS pretends this reality does not exist. Likewise, they refuse to confront the Kremlin-backed Banjska attacks in Kosovo, drawing disturbing parallels to Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
For RTS, Serbia is perpetually neutral, a victim of Western aggression. This narrative is not just fiction; it’s propaganda crafted to bolster Russia’s influence in the Balkans and undermine Kosovo’s sovereignty.
Why This Matters: Journalism vs. Propaganda
At its core, this conflict is about truth. Journalism, when practiced with integrity, seeks to inform the public, uncover hidden facts, and hold power to account. Propaganda, on the other hand, serves power. It does not care for truth or evidence; it exists to confuse, divide, and manipulate.
Russia Today Serbia’s response14 to my exclusive report is not an exercise in journalism. It’s an exercise in deflection and character assassination, designed to obscure Serbia’s increasingly close ties with Russia and its involvement in destabilising Kosovo.
RTS’s accusations reflect their own modus operandi. For them, journalistic integrity is incomprehensible because they themselves operate without it. To RTS, every journalist must be a propagandist, every report a political weapon. They project their own values, or lack thereof, onto others.
The Role of Serbia in Russia’s Geopolitical Strategy
Let us not forget the bigger picture. Serbia’s alignment with Russia is not accidental. Belgrade’s balancing act between the EU and Moscow is strategic, but its reliance on Russia for energy, arms, and political backing is undeniable. This was most evident when Kosovo authorities thwarted Serbia’s Russian-styled annexation attempts in September 2023.
The Kremlin views Serbia as a linchpin in its strategy to destabilise the Balkans. Russia’s narrative, parroted by RT Serbia, portrays Serbia as under siege, Kosovo as illegitimate, and NATO as the aggressor. This narrative serves Russia’s interests—not Serbia’s, and certainly not the truth.
Serbia's alignment with Moscow is not merely a geopolitical strategy; it is a deliberate embrace of the values and methods championed by autocratic regimes. Aleksandar Vučić's government mirrors the Kremlin’s authoritarian playbook, where state-controlled media, suppression of dissent, and consolidation of power have become the norm. Serbia’s close ties with Russia are underpinned by shared historical narratives, cultural affinities, and an aversion to Western democratic ideals. This alignment extends beyond rhetoric and into practical cooperation, be it through arms deals, disinformation campaigns, or Serbia’s role as a conduit for Russian economic interests under sanctions. By fostering relationships with Russia, China, and Iran, Vucic has positioned Serbia as a key player in the Eastern bloc's effort to undermine Western influence and democratic institutions. While Moscow wages a physical war in Ukraine, Belgrade wages a political and ideological one in the Balkans, destabilising the region and emboldening forces hostile to democracy. This is not simply opportunistic pragmatism; it reflects Serbia’s active alignment with a broader coalition of autocrats seeking to reshape the global order in their image.
A Record of Credibility
To readers and critics alike, I say this: every report I produce is grounded in credible evidence. Whether investigating Maher Al-Assad’s alleged refuge in Serbia, probing Aleksandar Arsenijevic, or examining U.S. diplomat Gabriel Escobar15, my findings stem from meticulous research, verified sources, and an unwavering commitment to exposing truths that many would rather keep buried.
RT Serbia’s accusations are not a reflection of my work; they are a reflection of their fear. Fear of journalists who operate independently. Fear of investigations that expose uncomfortable truths. Fear of a world where propaganda can no longer hide behind lies.
The question is not why Russia Today Serbia attacked me. The question is why they felt the need to. What truths are they so desperate to obscure? What narratives are they afraid I might uncover next?
The answer lies in the evidence, in the facts they refuse to address, and in the alliances they seek to protect. For my part, I will continue to report those facts, to uncover those truths, and to hold those alliances to account.
Because that is what journalism is. And that is what propaganda can never silence.
Луда оптужба албанског новинара из Лондона: Асадов брат се крије у Србији? — Russia Today, Serbia
Serbia receives another arms delivery from Russia despite international sanctions over Ukraine — AP
Aleksandar Arsenijevic: A Controversial Catalyst in Kosovo’s Political Turmoil — FRONTLINER
EU candidate Serbia and Russia sign foreign policy agreement — The Independent
Gabriel Escobar’s Diplomacy Under Fire — FRONTLINER