UK Warns: Russia Eyes Western Balkans as Next Playground
The UK has issued a stark warning about Russia’s growing influence in the Western Balkans, with Foreign Secretary David Lammy calling it the Kremlin’s next geopolitical target, The Gaze reports referencing Politico.
During a regional visit, Lammy pointed to rising tensions in Serbia, Kosovo, and Bosnia-Herzegovina as signs that Russia is exploiting old ethnic divisions to destabilize the EU’s neighborhood.
“We’re seeing the long hand of Russian interference,” Lammy said, urging the EU to accelerate membership talks with all six Western Balkan states as a safeguard against Moscow’s reach.
Serbia remains at the center of concern. Though officially pursuing EU membership, it maintains strong ties with Russia and China, resists sanctioning Moscow, and refuses to recognize Kosovo. UK officials fear Serbia may serve as a gateway for Russian-backed unrest in the region.
In Kosovo, leaders accuse Serbia—and by extension, Russia—of orchestrating attacks and fueling instability. Kosovo’s president warned that Putin views the Balkans as “fertile ground” for spreading conflict if left unchecked.
British officials also highlight the role of Bosnia’s Serb leader Milorad Dodik, recently sanctioned by the UK and US, as another Kremlin ally undermining regional peace.
As tensions mount, London is ramping up diplomatic and security efforts, pushing back against what it sees as a dangerous “spillover” of Russian aggression from Ukraine to Europe’s vulnerable southeast.
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