Monday Briefing from the Balkans: August 11, 2025
Source: Balkan Insight
Wildfire in Croatia. Photo: Croatian Ministry of Defence.
Wildfire in Croatia blocks coastal road
Some 150 firefighters with 50 vehicles battled a fire that broke out on Sunday near Jesenice, east of Split in Dalmatia, where flames threatened houses – although firefighters managed to save them – according to Ivana Kovacevic, the chief fire officer of Split-Dalmatia County. “Three Canadair planes have also joined the firefighting effort,” Kovacevic said.
The coastal D8 Adriatic road from Mutogras to Omis remains closed, with police redirecting vehicles. Wildfires are common in Croatia during summer heatwaves and can cause enormous damage. Over the weekend, temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius in some places.
Read more about how the 2025 wildfire season is testing Balkan countries’ abilities to respond.
Pro-Palestinian protests rock Greece
Some 105 pro-Palestine rallies took place on Sunday all over Greece, from big cities to small islands. In Athens, thousands gathered at Syntagma Square in a march, calling for an end to the war, while other protests were organised in Macedonia, Epirus, Central Greece, Thessaly, Peloponnese, in Crete and on the Dodecanese, Cyclades and Ionian islands.
The leader of the left-wing Syriza party, Socrates Famellos, participated in a protest on Folegandros island in the Cyclades. “Together with citizens across the country, we demand peace, an immediate ceasefire in Palestine, and an end to the genocide in Gaza,” he wrote on X. Israel denies it is committing genocide in Gaza.
Kosovo activists rally for Gaza
On Saturday, activists and citizens also protested in Kosovo’s capital Pristina about the war in Gaza. They called for support for Gaza and for peace. “We are here to condemn every violence and to be the voice of the children regardless of religion, ethnicity, or ideology. We cannot stay silent when the victims are children,” one of the organisers said at the protest, highlighting Kosovo’s solidarity with the Palestinian people because of its own history of war.
Serbian ruling party loyalists disrupt photo exhibition
Activists from the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, violently disrupted an exhibition on Saturday in the village of Backi Petrovac which included photos of the ongoing student-led anti-corruption protests in the country. The exhibition had been organised by members of Serbia’s Slovak ethnic minority in the northern Vojvodina region, N1 reported.
On Sunday, SNS supporters and police blocked roads to Backi Petovac as members of the public and the organisers tried to get to the village and reorganise the exhibition. Read about how Serbia’s government has been accused of using hired muscle against student protesters here.
North Macedonia sets date for local elections
The speaker of North Macedonia’s parliament, Afrim Gashi, on Saturday officially announced that local elections will be held in October. The first round will be held on October 19 while the second will be held two weeks later, on November 2. At the local polls, the eighth since the country became independent, about 1.8 million citizens will have the right to elect mayors and councillors in 80 municipalities, plus the City of Skopje.
Albanian TV channel loses signal after police operation
The signal of Albanian television channel News 24 was interrupted on Saturday as police surrounded its building, preventing journalists’ access, following a government decision in March to grant the premises to a newly-established state ammunition company, KAYO. The Association of Journalists of Albania said the media outlet was not notified in advance about the police operation.
Romania’s president visits Moldova ahead of crucial poll
President Nicușor Dan made a private trip to Moldova on Saturday, joining President Maia Sandu at a music festival. Despite the informal setting, Dan used the occasion to send political signals, reaffirming Bucharest’s backing for Chișinau in combating disinformation and safeguarding free and fair elections.
“We respect the right of Moldovan citizens to shape their own future and are assisting in the field of cybersecurity, where attacks are frequent … I hope the choice the voters here make will be in the European direction,” Dan said.
Moldova faces parliamentary elections in September, pitting a pro-European coalition aligned with Sandu against parties advocating closer ties with Russia. The results will be decisive for the country, with Romania firmly supporting the pro-European side. Read more about Romania’s increasingly close alliance with Moldova here.
High-profile lawyer detained in Turkey
Rezan Epozdemir, one of Turkey’s most renowned lawyers, was detained early Sunday over allegations of espionage, aiding a terrorist organisation and bribery, which he denies. “This detention is a complete conspiracy,” Epozdemir said in a letter from detention.
Epozdemir has previously faced pressure, threats and smear campaigns due to his defence work in high-profile cases, including femicides and organised crime.
The original article: belongs to Balkan Insight .
