Vladimir Vučković co-edited Special Section published in East European Politics and Societies

We are pleased to announce the publication of a special section in East European Politics and Societies devoted to examining the role of non-state actors in the post-Yugoslav space as instruments of Russia’s hybrid warfare during the Russian–Ukrainian War.

Edited by Vladimir Vučković and Vladimir Đorđević, the section brings together scholarly contributions analyzing how political movements, religious institutions, civil society organizations, and other non-state actors mobilize narratives, networks, and symbolic resources that reinforce pro-Russian positions across the Western Balkans.

In addition to serving as editors, Vučković and Đorđević also contribute their own research article “Introduction: Revisiting Security in the Post-Yugoslav Space. Non-State Actors as Allies of Russian Foreign Policy.”

The special section includes contributions by Branislav Staletović (North Macedonia), Branislav Radeljić (Serbia), Věra Stojarová and Jiří Němec (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and Miloš Petrović and Dragan Đukanović (Montenegro).

The articles examine how domestic actors frame the Russian–Ukrainian War within local identity politics and historical memory. They analyze the mechanisms through which pro-Russian discourses are legitimized, circulated, and embedded in national political arenas. Collectively, the contributions highlight the interaction between domestic political contestation and broader geopolitical realignments in Southeast Europe.

Introduction to the special section is available here .