Skip to content
Opens in a new window
3. Russian Hybrid Warfare And Balkan Geopolitics - IVANA STRADNER 090926
10 September 2026

3. Russian Hybrid Warfare And Balkan Geopolitics - IVANA STRADNER 090926

The John Batchelor Show

About
1841 KREMLIN
Russian Hybrid Warfare And Balkan Geopolitics
Ivana Stradner details Russia's persistent hybrid warfare against Western democracies, utilizing social media, cyber operations, undersea cable sabotage, and disinformation to erode alliance cohesion. She notes how the populist AfD party leveraged platforms like TikTok to capture youth votes in Saxony-Anhalt. Stradner emphasizes that Vladimir Putinexploits Western risk aversion and seeks to divide NATO, arguing Washington must project decisive strength. In the Western Balkans, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić continues balancing between the West, Russia, and China to preserve authoritarian control, despite growing domestic protests led by students and young citizens seeking democratic reform. (3)