Albanian Language Media:

• Kosovo Assembly discusses ongoing general strike (media)
• Osmani: NATO membership is Kosovo’s strategic objective (media)
• Osmani meets Secretary General of Organisation of Islamic States (media)
• Justice Minister meets President of Specialist Chambers (media)
• Dutch Foreign Ministry on whether they will support visa liberalisation (Express)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: How is Ukraine’s territorial integrity different from Serbia’s? (Tanjug)
• Vucic: Everyone invokes int’l law when it suits them to do so (Tanjug)
• PM Brnabic explains delay in formation of new Government (RTS, FoNet, N1)
• Selakovic at a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in New York (RTS, Blic)
• Aleksic: Vucic’s announcement about the state-building bloc a prelude to elections at all levels (Nova, FoNet, N1)
• Council of Europe in 2008 considered UN membership as precondition for Kosovo – what has changed? (Kosovo Online)
• ”Kosovo and Serbia: Narratives unrelated to the situation on the ground, but increase tensions” (N1)
• Office for KiM: Freedom of movement of Serbs threatened once again (Kosovo Online)
• Bo: Vucic and Yi confirmed the partnership between Serbia and China (Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

• The Cynicism of Serbia’s Kosovo Policy (Balkan Insight)

International:

• Serbian President Vucic to Newsmax: Putin Not ‘Bluffing’ (newsmax.com)
• FBI: Iranian Hackers Accessed Albanian Systems Over Year Ago (BIRN)
• Hackers Likely Accessed Emails of Serbia’s Cadastre Staff, BIRN Reveals

Humanitarian/Development:

• Air Serbia says tickets for Moscow-Belgrade flights in September sold out long time ago (Blic)

Albanian Language Media  

Kosovo Assembly discusses ongoing general strike (media)

The main story in the media today is the session of the Kosovo Assembly and the debate on the ongoing strike. Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in his address to the MPs that the opposition is using the strike as a weapon against him and that proof of this were the remarks from PDK and AAK MPs, Ferat Shala and Pal Lekaj. “In essence, there is a chronic nonacceptance of the [election] result of February 14 last year. This is the problem, but it needs to be overcome. I cannot do anything; the people have voted. The problem they [the opposition] have is that I am Prime Minister. They don’t care about the fact that children are not going to school. This is their main concern. The strike is being used as a weapon against the Prime Minister. This is a clear objective that these two MPs unfolded today,” he said.

Kurti said that on September 1 he met the head of the Union of Trade Workers Union of Kosovo (BSPK), Atdhe Hykolli, and that he suggested to announce, together with the unions, a new package to help face the inflation. “As a social democrat, I am interested in strengthening the unions. I offered to the BPSK to announce the package together. No government ever offered this, but my offer was turned down,” he said.

Kurti also said that on September 13 in a meeting with the Strike Council, in addition to suggesting making a joint statement that the draft law on wages will be open for public hearings, he also offered an additional €10 million for essential medical products, the reform of the social scheme to remove the criteria of 15 years of experience, but that he was turned down. “They told us they would consult their membership, but immediately after the meeting they said that the strike continues. They did not say that consultations were ongoing, but that the strike continues,” he added.

Kurti further argued that the BSPK announced the general strike when he was travelling to Brussels to meet Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. “The general strike was announced on August 17 and I was heading to Brussels that day to have a five-hour meeting tomorrow with the President of Serbia. On August 17, the leading news in Kosovo, and not only, was that the strike was starting. The Prime Minister was negotiating with our northern aggressive and ill-will neighbor, at a time when at home the BSPK was announcing a mass strike,” he said.

Head of the Vetevendosje parliamentary group, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, said in today’s session of the Kosovo Assembly that children are suffering from irreparable damage because of the ongoing strike in the education sector. “Regrettably the children are faced with a situation they did not cause. The strike of SBASHK [Union of Education, Science and Culture] is damaging them. The damage inflicted on the children has irreparable consequences. In May this year, the demand of SBASHK, in addition to the €100, was to include the teachers in the law on wages with the status they deserve. Today, SBASHK says that they haven’t seen the draft law on wages,” she said. “With the greatest humility for the teachers, they need to get back to schools and to the teaching process. Let them find other ways for a strike, we cannot give them ideas, or maybe we even can. Do not keep the children hostage.”

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Memli Krasniqi, said today that the problem is not only about the education sector and that the whole state risks being blocked. “The problem is way bigger. Today we saw there was a one-hour strike in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There have been announcements for a strike in the healthcare sector too. The whole state is at risk of being blocked,” Krasniqi argued.

MP from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Pal Lekaj, said that the topic of the strike has in one way or another blocked the institutional and social life. “On the one hand there is the strike of all unions and on the other hand is the government that is not concerned with breaking the stalemate. Regardless of the circumstances, the government is responsible to find a solution. We don’t have time to lose because the pupils, teachers and parents are suffering, and so are all citizens that have work to do in the municipalities and institutions. Prime Minister, do not forget about the economic state we are in, the inflation. Let us not forget that the strike of the unions has echoed in Europe too … Enough with the stubbornness. It is time for the government to find a solution, to meet the demands, and for the state to return to normality. Only the Prime Minister can find a solution,” Lekaj said.

MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Enver Hoxhaj, said that the children are suffering from the strike and called on Prime Minister Kurti to meet with the unions. “Prime Minister, I call on you to talk to the unionists … You don’t have to play the tough guy with the unions,” he said. Hoxhaj also suggested a provisional solution to overcome the current stalemate. “According to estimates from colleagues in the area of economy, a provisional solution would cost 24-25 million euros in three months or 32 million in four months. I call on you to find a provisional solution because in January or February, the law on wages will be adopted,” he argued.

MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and former Prime Minister, Avdullah Hoti, took to Facebook today to argue that the demand of the Union for Education, Science and Culture (SBASHK) costs only 2.9 million a month and that it does not represent a problem for the state budget. 

Osmani: NATO membership is Kosovo’s strategic objective (media)

President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, met today in New York with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and said that Kosovo is grateful for NATO’s continued support to maintaining peace and stability. “Kosovo’s strategic objective remains membership in the Euro-Atlantic community. Our membership in the European Union and NATO would contribute to increased security and stability in the region. Membership in these organisations is a priority for Kosovo and a precondition for ensuring peace in the region and also for promoting and protecting shared values,” Osmani said. She also said that Kosovo must be included in the Partnership for Peace Programme as soon as possible.

A statement from NATO notes that Stoltenberg and Osmani discussed the current political and security situation in Kosovo. Stoltenberg said that the NATO-led KFOR mission remains vigilant and committed to implementing its UN mandate. He also reaffirmed NATO’s support to the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

Osmani meets Secretary General of Organisation of Islamic States (media)

President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, during her stay in New York, met the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic States, Hissein Brahim Taha, thanking him for the support that this organisation provided to Kosovo since the declaration of independence onwards. In particular, she thanked the Secretary-General for the Resolution that was recently approved by the OIC, which called for all the member states of this organisation to recognize Kosovo, a press release issued by Osmani’s office notes.

Osmani also said it was important for Kosovo to expand its partnership with the OIC in fighting global challenges and finding common solutions. She added that strengthening Kosovo’s international position contributes to long-term and stable peace in the region and beyond. 

Osmani also emphasised the importance of new recognitions by the member states of this organisation, stressing that the international empowerment of Kosovo increases the possibility for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Western Balkans.

Justice Minister meets President of Specialist Chambers (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, hosted a meeting today with the President of the Specialist Chambers of Kosovo, Ekaterina Trendafilova. A press release issued by Haxhiu’s office notes that they discussed the work and responsibilities of the Specialist Chabers, the rights of parties in the proceedings, the role of the People’s Attorney and inter-institutional cooperation.

Dutch Foreign Ministry on whether they will support visa liberalisation (Express)

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the news website today that they are waiting for the official report from the European Commission which will have new data about Kosovo’s progress. “The European Commission will soon have an updated report about the standards for visa liberalisation. The Netherlands is open to make an assessment if all standards have been met. The progress made so far in the fight against organised crime and corruption is key for us,” they said. “Only after we assess the progress that has been made and after discussions with Parliament, will we have a position on this issue”.

The Ministry said that the free movement of Kosovo citizens is not an issue only between Kosovo and the Netherlands. “It is up to the Council of the European Union to discuss and agree on visa liberalisation, so this is not a bilateral issue between Kosovo and a member state of the EU,” they added.

The Ministry also said that the Netherlands supports the Kosovo government in its ambitious agenda for reforms in the rule of law, especially in addressing issues related to organised crime and high-level corruption. “The progress in this reform agenda and specifically in the areas mentioned, will be first and foremost important for the citizens of Kosovo and will surely support the Kosovo ambition for visa-free travel”.

Serbian Language Media 

Vucic: How is Ukraine’s territorial integrity different from Serbia’s? (Tanjug)

In a general debate speech at the UN General Assembly, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Serbia was seeking a clear answer to the question of how the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine were different from those of Serbia, which he noted had been grossly violated, Tanjug news agency reports.

“Nobody has ever provided a rational answer to that question”, Vucic said.

“Serbia supports the territorial integrity of all UN member states, including, of course, the territorial integrity of Ukraine”, Vucic said, adding that, despite not having set foot on another country’s territory, Serbia, as a sovereign country, had been attacked by NATO in 1999 without a UN Security Council decision.

Serbia did not endanger the territorial integrity of any sovereign state for anyone to intervene against it or commit an aggression against it in a way it was done in 1999, Vucic noted.

“The signing of the Agreement with NATO – upon termination of armed conflict – whose provisions envisaged adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and which confirmed and guaranteed partial sovereignty and full territorial integrity of Serbia, did not prevent many Western countries from a unilateral recognition of independence of the so-called ‘Kosovo’ and from violating, once again, the territorial integrity of our country”, Vucic said.

Quoting Martin Luther King, Vucic said that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”, and noted that those words were a reminder and a warning to all.

“We could hear from many speakers the stories about aggression and violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Many say that this was the first conflict on European soil after the World War II. But, the truth that the territorial integrity of a country in Europe – Serbia as a matter of fact, which did not attack any other sovereign country – was violated is constantly unspoken”, he said.

“We ask for a clear answer to the question I’ve been asking my interlocutors, leaders of many countries for years – what is the difference between the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia, which were grossly violated, and for which you provided international recognition and legitimacy?” Vucic noted.

In a closing remark, Vucic said 17 out of 23 countries that had made references to respect of the UN Charter and UN resolutions at the session had “violated international public law and did not obey the rules created and made by the UN”.

“I hope that we will be able to overcome all these difficulties and to make the rules and procedures equal for everybody in the world. Otherwise, I do not see the exit at the end of the tunnel”, he said.

Read the full statement at: https://bit.ly/3qYoAUN

Vucic: Everyone invokes int’l law when it suits them to do so (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who addressed the UN General Assembly late on Wednesday, right after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says the order of speakers is definitely a handicap, but that, for that reason, his speech will draw greater attention than it otherwise would, Tanjug news agency reports.

“No one has patience for anyone or anything – they just want their side to win. They will not listen, and they do not care about 1999, which is a painful wound to us, or 2008”, Vucic told Tanjug in an interview.

He added that US President Joe Biden had said earlier in the day that Russia had committed a shameless aggression on the sovereign territory of Ukraine, and noted that he would have taken that argument completely seriously had it not been for the “more than shameless” attack on Serbia in 1999.

Serbia was attacked after launching no attack on any sovereign state or entering the territory of any other country, he said.

“International law must apply to all equally. That is the essence, but it is a silly trifle with which small countries are fighting for respect of law”, he said.

“Everyone invokes international law when it suits them to do so – otherwise, they invoke force”, Vucic added.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3qVeyUD

PM Brnabic explains delay in formation of new Government (RTS, FoNet, N1)

The situation in the relations between Belgrade and Pristina “is a pebble in the West’s shoe” that it wants to get rid of and resolve the situation so Serbia could no longer blame it and point to its hypocrisy, said Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.

The Prime Minister explained that the formation of the Government is delayed by everything that happened in relations with Pristina in the course of September, and by a large number of activities.

Brnabic told the Serbian state TV (RTS) that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic did a brilliant job giving a speech at the UN General Assembly.

As for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, which Serbia agrees with, the minute Serbia is mentioned that topic collapses, said Brnabic, adding this is the reason the West insists on resolving the Belgrade-Pristina conflict, in any way, as soon as possible.

Brnabic said she does not believe that those who need to hear Vucic’s words actually heard him, because he has been saying the same things at every meeting.

In his speech Vucic said that the only standard that everyone needs to uphold is the honouring of the UN Charter and that 17 out of 23 countries violated the Charter in the case of Serbia, said Brnabic.

“Those who did not respect Serbia’s territorial integrity did hear Vucic’s words well but unfortunately that will not change anything, and they will not forgive him for saying what he said,” stressed Brnabic.

Asked if any decisions have been taken regarding new ministers, Brnabic said some but not all, and added that the contours of the new government are slowly emerging.

“There’ll be changes, there will also be changes to the Law on Ministries, and I expect the debate in the Parliament to last longer than usual,” said Brnabic.

Selakovic at a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in New York (RTS, Blic)

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Nikola Selakovic, said at the ministerial meeting of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries (NAM) in New York that Serbia strives to develop and deepen relations with the members of that movement, reported RTS.

Selakovic said at the NAM meeting that Serbia, as a country that has military neutrality and that is dedicated to its strategic commitment, full membership in the EU, was simultaneously working to strengthen old, traditional friendships with African, Latin American and Asia-Pacific countries, in hope that the strengthening of those ties will be mutually beneficial for the peoples. 

He recalled that from the very beginning the Movement was made up of states of different identities, cultures, religions, and political-economic systems, the non-aligned throughout their existence managed to grow, based on ten founding principles that never lost its importance and actuality. 

Selakovic pointed out that even though today’s world was in many ways different from the one in 1961, we still face similar challenges. That was why today it was necessary to work additionally on strengthening multilateralism and understanding the multipolarity of the world order. 

As he pointed out, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity was of particular importance for Serbia, which was described in the UN Charter, but also in the second founding principle of the Non-Aligned Movement. 

On this occasion, “Selakovic thanked numerous members of the Movement who stood by Serbia and who remained consistent with the principles of respect for international law, not recognizing the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo’’. 

“Finally, I want to say once again that the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries can always count on Serbia’s friendship. We firmly believe in and contribute to building a world in which dialogue based on equality will prevail, without the division into big and small – a world in which commitment to peace and stability shall prevail” the head of Serbian diplomacy concluded. 

Aleksic: Vucic’s announcement about the state-building bloc a prelude to elections at all levels (Nova, FoNet, N1)

The Vice-President of the People’s Party, Miroslav Aleksic, assessed that the formation of a new state-building bloc, announced by the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, was a prelude to new elections at all levels, which await the country in the spring of 2024.

In an interview with the daily Nova, he pointed out that he would not be surprised if Vucic resigned, and presidential elections were called as well, because he behaved like a king.

When it comes to the Belgrade elections in the spring of 2023, Aleksic claimed that he did not expect them, because he did not see any reason for holding them, since the city’s parliamentary majority was functioning.

Regarding the announcement of the formation of the state-building bloc, Aleksic said that it was another in a series of ”frauds by Vucic, where he tries to cover up all the bad things that have happened in the last 10 years”, reported N1.

According to Aleksic, the Government did not form yet, because he did not even need it, and that he ruled outside the institutions.

Council of Europe in 2008 considered UN membership as precondition for Kosovo – what has changed? (Kosovo Online)

The Opinion of the Council of Europe Legal Affairs Directorate that Kosovo referred to in its non-paper addressed to the members of this organisation a few days ago, significantly differs from the Legal Opinion of the Council of Europe on the same topic in 2008, Kosovo Online portal reports.

The portal further said the Council of Europe, 14 years ago deemed it justified to postpone consideration of a possible Pristina membership bid to this organisation until Kosovo becomes a UN member.

Apart from this, the Council of Europe in 2008 said it was important that Kosovo was under international administration, and that its status was based on the UN SC Resolution 1244. This situation has not changed to date, yet the non-paper Kosovo sent to the CoE member states does not say that Directorate pointed out to those facts. However, a decision of the International Court of Justice on Kosovo was nevertheless mentioned.

The portal recalled that the Legal Opinion on Kosovo provided 14 years ago stressed that the Kosovo status issue was a controversial topic for member states of this organisation, an argument very much applicable also today.

The question remains as to what has changed in the meantime, the portal asks, adding the response would be known if the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers requests the opinion of the Council of Europe, Parliamentary Assembly on Pristina’s request. Pristina officially submitted a request to join this organisation on May 15, 2022. 

”Kosovo and Serbia: Narratives unrelated to the situation on the ground, but increase tensions” (N1)

In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Kosovo PM Albin Kurti accused Serbia of being an extension of the Kremlin. The answer comes from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija – that Kurti is not ready for a compromise, but that he is using the war in Ukraine to hide his nefarious intentions. The conflict of narratives that exists between Belgrade and Pristina can hardly lead to progress in the dialogue, according to analysts, reported N1.

The American journalist began the interview by stating that there are 1,000 miles between Kosovo and Kyiv, but that the aftereffects of the war could spill over into the Western Balkans region, and then asked Kurti if he felt that.

“It is possible because in the Western Balkans we have a client regime of the Kremlin in Belgrade,” Kurti said.

And then he continued to list that Serbia has 28 military and 20 gendarmerie bases. In the interview, he said, among other things, that the Kosovo Security Forces participated in military exercises with NATO forces and that he was looking forward to participating again in order to, as he said, “show alignment with the democratic West.”

“But also, that Belgrade and the Kremlin should think twice if they want to do something to us. I allowed Serbian PM Brnabic to visit the north of Kosovo and I hope that during these visits she will see that Kosovo is a normal country and that Kosovo is more democratic than Serbia. And in fact, it is much more independent than Serbia because Serbia depends on Russia,” Kurti added.

The fact that Albin Kurti “cannot rule out conflicts in the region” speaks of his intention to set fire to the Western Balkans by causing tensions and crises in Kosovo, the director of the Office for KiM responded in a statement and added that Kurti was deceiving the public by counting Serbian bases in order to justify his militant actions, reported N1.

“Kurti only has conflicts in his head, and never dialogue, compromise, normalization of relations, which he does not mention in any of his public appearances. Instead of forming the CSM (ZSO), Kurti is building illegal bases in the north of the province, which he is building on land stolen from the Serbs, in front of the eyes of the international community. Let no one be fooled that Pristina’s intention in these unilateral moves is noble and humanitarian, the real intention is Kurti’s attempt to encircle the Serbs in the north of the province, which he will not be able to do,” the statement said.

The paradox was that we are witnessing an apparent dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and at the same time something called a conflict of narratives, says Stefan Vladisavljev from the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence.

He reminded that since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, actions and statements have been coming from Pristina that talk about the spillover of the conflict.

“Serbia is already directly blamed for representing a proxy of Russian influence and that Serbia is a country that, on the one hand, tries to remain neutral, on the other hand, a country that, according to Albin Kurti, is a Russian pawn in the Western Balkans,” said Vladisavljev.

Kurti’s statements, he said, do not go unanswered by individuals or the media in Belgrade. He pointed out that for now we are only talking about narratives that do not have a clear foundation in the events on the ground.

“But the mere creation of such narratives definitely does not contribute to the further normalization of relations and further promotion of dialogue, but rather contributes to the increase of tensions and definitely creates a context in which it is difficult to imagine any constructive dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina in the future,” said Vladisavljev.

Office for KiM: Freedom of movement of Serbs threatened once again (Kosovo Online)

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija in the strongest terms condemned the incident which took place in Pec today when local Albanians intercepted the bus transporting Serb pilgrims on their way to Pec Patriarchate, Kosovo Online portal reports.

“Today in Pec, two young Albanian men followed Slavica Josifovic and other members of the Association of Planjane Residents from Prizren. They placed a Kosovo flag on the bus that brought Serbs to Pec. The case has been reported to the police”, Office for Kosovo and Metohija said in a statement. The Office also urged security bodies in Pec to find and bring to justice perpetrators who threatened the freedom of movement of Serbs from Planjane.

As it was reported earlier, the bus in which members of the Association of Residents of Planjane, near Prizren, were on their way to the Pec Patriarchate, was attacked by Albanians who blocked their way with a car, threatened them and placed Kosovo flag on the bus. Tour guide Slavica Josifovic told Kosovo Online that the incident happened when a driver got out of a car with local licence plates and threatened Serbs in Albanian who were visiting the Serbian shrine.

“At the very entrance to Pec, around 9:40 a.m., a car cut our way, as if it wanted us to hit it, it slowed down, but the bus driver ignored it. Then the Albanian who was driving opened the car window and threatened us in Albanian, although we did not understand. After that, he parked his car in front of the bus, we couldn’t go around it, because there were cars coming from the opposite direction. He got out, took the Kosovo flag and put it on the front of the bus, he threatened that we shouldn’t take it off and photographed a bus with BG licence plates”, she said.

She added that the case was immediately reported to the police.

“As a tour guide, I asked for an escort to the Patriarchate of Pec and Priluzje, because there is also a child with us, and there are also those who went to visit the Patriarchate of Pec for the first time. The driver and I gave a statement”, she said, adding they did not get an escort to continue their journey.

Bo: Vucic and Yi confirmed the partnership between Serbia and China (Kosovo Online)

China’s Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo said that at the meeting between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, it was emphasized that Serbia and China are reliable partners.

Bo pointed out on Twitter that Minister Yi confirmed that Serbia is a reliable friend of China.

“During the meeting with President Aleksandar Vucic in New York, Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi emphasized that China and Serbia are each other’s trustworthy and reliable partners,” said Bo, reported portal Kosovo Online.

Opinion 

The Cynicism of Serbia’s Kosovo Policy (Balkan Insight)

Behind the policy of Serbia’s government towards Kosovo stands cynicism and greed. And the opposition is complicit.

More and more, President Aleksandar Vucic says Serbia will not give up even an inch of its territory. That was the message, as a gesture of appeasement, sent to Serbs in Kosovo after last week’s debate in the Serbian parliament on the course of negotiations with Pristina.

Such a sedative is also necessary for a large part of the public in Serbia, as the polemics in parliament displayed all the confusion and impotence of Serbian politics when it comes to the issue of Kosovo. Vucic, by his own admission, does not know how to solve it. The opposition knows just as little, or even less.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3Sh3dtO

International 

Serbian President Vucic to Newsmax: Putin Not ‘Bluffing’ (newsmax.com)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, speaking to Newsmax before his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, said he does not believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “bluffing” with threats of using all means at his disposal against Ukraine, including nuclear weapons. 

“I met President Putin many times, and I don’t believe that he’s bluffing, as he said,” Vucic said in an interview on Newsmax’s “National Report.” “That’s all I can say.” 

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3R8s4ie

FBI: Iranian Hackers Accessed Albanian Systems Over Year Ago (BIRN)

FBI-aided investigation into the recent massive cyber attacks in Albania says Iranian hackers accessed Albanian systems a full 14 months ago.

A digital screen displays a live cyber hack attack during a press conference at the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) in Wiesbaden, Germany, 11 November 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE/RONALD WITTEK

A report by the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, CISA, published on Wednesday, on the wave of hacking attacks in Albania, says Iranian attackers gained access to Albanian systems some 14 months ago, long before the actual attacks started.

The first cyber-attack was reported on July 13, when Albanian government services became unavailable for some days.

“An FBI investigation indicates Iranian state cyber actors acquired initial access to the victim’s network approximately 14 months before launching the [July] destructive cyber attack, which included a ransomware-style file encryptor and disk wiping malware,” the report says.

“The actors maintained continuous network access for approximately a year, periodically accessing and exfiltrating email content,” it adds.

From May to June 2022, “Iranian state cyber actors conducted lateral movements, network reconnaissance, and credential harvesting from Albanian government networks.” it continues.

In June and August, messages against the Iranian dissident group hosted in Albania, the People’s Mujahedin of Iran, MEK, were released.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3UpIYvP

Hackers Likely Accessed Emails of Serbia’s Cadastre Staff, BIRN Reveals

A BIRN investigation shows that Serbia’s cadaster system, RGZ, was infected by not just one malware computer virus but by at least three malicious programs and that at least one of them entered the server via the RGZ mail server, from where it tried to spread.

The servers of the Republic Geodetic Institute stopped working on June 14, when it was announced that a hacker attack had been carried out.

For this reason, management said they locked the entire system preventively, which made it impossible to use its services, including the cadastre of property ownership.

RGZ later said the computer sabotage was carried out from abroad using the ransomware virus “Phobos”.

This works by locking the device, disks and databases that only become available again when the hackers are compensated. However, RGZ insisted that “so far, the message with a request for redemption [cash] has not been identified”.

But BIRN discovered that, beside Phobos, the system was infected with Qakbot and Mirai Botnet as well.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3E1mXxF

Humanitarian/Development

Air Serbia says tickets for Moscow-Belgrade flights in September sold out long time ago (Blic)

Serbian air carrier, Air Serbia said that because of the excessive demands for tickets on the flights between Belgrade and destinations in the Russian Federation as of March this year, the tickets may be purchased only a few days or even several weeks in advance, Blic daily reports today.

Air Serbia made those remarks reacting to recent speculations by some media and on social networks regarding the prices for the tickets for those destinations. It also said the tickets for the flights in September have been sold out a long time ago, and there are very few left for the first half of the next month.

Air Serbia also said the lowest available price for one-way ticket in economy class from Moscow to Belgrade costs 397 euros, while the most expensive one costs 567 euros. It also said the cheapest two-way ticket from Moscow to Belgrade in economy class costs 816 euros and the most expensive one costs 1.156 euros. All prices include taxes as well, Air Serbia added.

Some media reported earlier that since Russian President Vladimir Putin declared partial mobilisation in Russia over the war in Ukraine, prices of the flight tickets from Moscow to Belgrade skyrocketed and there were no available tickets for the flights in September left.