In August, Moldova kicked out 45 Russian diplomats and embassy staff, citing fears of Moscow's efforts to "destabilize" the country. But among the diplomats remaining in Chisinau, a new investigation by RFE/RL has found that many of them are linked to Russian intelligence agencies.
Far-right and extremist groups are a major threat in the Balkans as they have deep roots in society and exert a significant influence, a BIRN conference in Sarajevo concluded.
Is China exporting the surveillance state abroad? Through a strategic partnership with the Chinese tech giant Huawei, Serbia purchased thousands of surveillance cameras with facial-recognition capabilities. How will this technology reshape the Balkan country and others who follow its path? Stefan Vladisavljev from Foundation BFPE and Maja Zivanovic, RFE/RL's bureau chief in Belgrade, join host Reid Standish to discuss.
While Serbian authorities haven't yet used facial-recognition software, an RFE/RL investigation documented a legally murky operation by plainclothes police during nationwide protests in 2021 that showed how officials could abuse cutting-edge Chinese surveillance tools in the future.