The Prague Security Studies Institute (PSSI) has analyzed the financial background of disinformation in the Czech Republic since 2020. Research on disinformation usually focuses on its content, but often overlooks the financial aspects and the variety of motivations behind the spread of disinformation. Knowledge concerning these aspects is crucial for employing effective tools for countering disinformation and building a healthy information space with resilient audiences. The present report demonstrates that disinformation can be a financially profitable business and defunding should be explored as a counter-strategy to malign information activities.

Prague Security Studies Institute (PSSI) analyzuje finanční pozadí dezinformací v České republice od roku 2020. Výzkum v oblasti dezinformací se obvykle zaměřuje na jejich obsah, často však přehlíží jejich finanční aspekty a rozmanitost motivací pro šíření dezinformací. Znalost těchto aspektů je klíčová pro výběr účinných nástrojů na potírání dezinformací a pro budování zdravého informačního prostoru s odolným publikem. Tato analýza dokazuje, že dezinformace mohou být ziskový byznys a demonetizace by se měla přezkoumat jako protistrategie k škodlivým informačním aktivitám.

This final report offers the results of Prague Security Studies Institute's latest research on democratic backsliding in the Western Balkans and Croatia (an EU member state), conducted between fall 2022 and spring 2023. 

There is a growing momentum within the U.S. legislative landscape to counter the risks associated with investments in Chinese companies - and Europe would be wise to pay attention to this. PSSI’s Elias Sköld highlights the growing concerns about U.S. investors funding Chinese state-controlled companies, including those supplying the Chinese military and committing egregious human rights abuses.

This op-ed provides insights into the complex political landscape and challenges faced by the Serbian community in Kosovo, highlighting the issues of political instrumentalization and marginalization of the Serbian community at the hands of political elites in Serbia, organized crime groups backed by political support, facilitation of malign influence, and the political dimension of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC).

What effects the war in Ukraine has on Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo and what does it mean for the internal functioning of the countries?

Over the past decade, Bosnia and Herzegovina has been facing a major crisis stemming from growing internal political divisions. The steady weakening of the EU presence in the Balkans in recent years has made BiH even more vulnerable to the influences of the two main regional power centers – Belgrade and Zagreb – as well as other geopolitical actors, especially the USA, Russia, Türkiye, and China, as well as Iran and the Arab States of the Persian Gulf.

Without credible external encouragement from the EU, the lack of trust in the vision of local politicians can play a significant role in weakening democracy in North Macedonia. The Western Balkans remains one of the most vulnerable targets in the ongoing battle for influence. The region is a central target of Russian influence, which intensified after the invasion of Ukraine last year. The region proves to be a fertile ground for political and societal influence, disinformation, and corrosive capital due to the various levels of state and media captivity, ethnic tensions within and between states, and the history of Russian cognitive bias.