Authors

Discussion

This paper examines how Russian propaganda narratives have infiltrated and shaped the media discourse in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) regarding two major international conflicts - the Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022-) and the war in Gaza (2023-). While earlier scholarship has explored Russia’s use of reflexive control to manipulate perceptions and strategic decision-making abroad (Thomas 2004; Bjola 2019; Horbyk et al. 2023), the consequences of such operations within complex post-Yugoslav media ecosystems remain underexplored. Building on theories of propaganda (Bolin & Kunelius 2023; Horbyk et al. 2023) and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) (Pamment & Tsurstumia 2025; Poliakoff 2025a; Poliakoff 2025b), this study compares how BiH online media framed these two wars and mediated Russian influence across ethnopolitical divides.

Employing an AI-assisted quantitative content analysis, we examine Russian official statements alongside coverage in major BiH news outlets from 7 October 2023 to 7 October 2025. The analysis identifies distinct narrative alignments: whereas Moscow has criticised Israeli warfare to appeal to Western and Global South audiences, Republika Srpska’s leadership and affiliated media have sided with Israel, embedding the Gaza conflict in local discourses of religious extremism and national identity. Despite these divergences, Russian disinformation has successfully applied reflexive techniques to synchronise anti-Western and anti-Ukrainian sentiment among both Serb and Bosniak audiences by invoking perceived hypocrisy in Western media coverage.

Preliminary results confirm the hypothesis that Russian reflexive control mechanisms have adapted to BiH’s plural media environment to amplify divisive narratives while sustaining pro-Russian sympathies. The study contributes to the growing literature on hybrid propaganda, post-Yugoslav media systems, and algorithmic approaches to FIMI detection.