—❗️🪖 🇦🇱 NEW: Albania unveils “historic” military overhaul and defense industry push.

➡️ PM Edi Rama said Albania’s army now fields Javelin missile systems, three Italy-donated patrol vessels, and new radar systems supplied through cooperation with France, while claiming it is now the best-paid military in the region, surpassing Serbia.

➡️ He announced that Albania has launched a “Made in Albania” defense industry with domestic production of armored vehicles and ammunition, and from 2026 plans to roll out combat drones, anti-drone systems, military uniforms for export, and expanded naval and aerospace contracts.

➡️ The goal is reaching NATO averages in both military pay and defense spending.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—❗️🛩 🇭🇷 NEW: From January 1, Croatia’s Rafale fighters have assumed full 24/7 air-policing of national airspace, taking over from Italian and Hungarian jets that temporarily protected Croatian skies during the Rafale training and transition period, according to our source in the country.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

#BREAKING | 🇷🇺 — Russian Post is "temporarily" suspending ground delivery to:

— 🇱🇻 Latvia,
— 🇱🇹 Lithuania,
— 🇸🇮 Slovenia,
— 🇭🇷 Croatia,
— 🇪🇪 Estonia.

The Global Eye | Subscribe

—🇷🇸/🇻🇪 NEW: Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said Serbia hopes attacks on Venezuela will cease, voicing Belgrade’s interest in peace and a diplomatic resolution amid heightened international tensions following large-scale US strikes and the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.

➡️ Speaking during a visit to new facilities of Serbia’s elite Military Police unit “Kobre”, he framed the situation as one where further escalation should be avoided and stability restored.

🔗 Dunav Intel

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🎾 🇷🇸 Novak Djokovic:

Federer and Nadal come from two Western powers. I showed up from Serbia and said out loud that I was going to be number 1. The whole system didn't like that: media, sponsors, tournaments. I felt like an unwanted guest crashing their party. It really hurt me back then. They wanted me to play to their tune — be politically correct, fit into their script. It hurt me so much that I even changed my behavior, hoping they'd accept me. In the end, I understood that I had to stay true to myself and accept that some people will never like me. And that's fine. I am who I am and I sleep peacefully.

🔗 Danny

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—❗️🪖🇷🇸 URGENT: Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has warned that “international law no longer exists” and claimed that a regional military alliance is forming against Serbia.

➡️ He announced a push for “strong rearmament,” including doubling combat capabilities and boosting firepower by 100% in the coming period.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇬🇷 UPDATE: Full airspace shutdowns are rare outside of major military operations, cyber incidents, or severe security events.

➡️ Was this something more than a "communication failure"? Let us know your opinion!

✍️ I found this testimony of a Greek citizen; of course, take it with a grain of salt:

I am Greek and I can tell you with certainty that nothing strange is happening.

From the investigation conducted so far by both the National Cybersecurity Authority and the EYP, no evidence of sabotage or cyberattack has emerged. Instead, it appears that the problem is due to damage to an antenna in the Gerania Mountains that serves the Athens FIR.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇷🇸 WATCH: Security forces in Republika Srpska have begun preparations for the January 9 Republic Day celebrations, with a ceremonial parade planned in the entity’s capital, Banja Luka, to mark the founding of the republic.

➡️ The date, repeatedly ruled unconstitutional as an official holiday by Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Constitutional Court, has nonetheless continued to be marked with police and security force parades in recent years.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

📰⚡️‼️ Dear friends, Balkan Spectator is partnered with and personally recommending #NewsHub.

The powerful Telegram folder made up of 11 independent news channels from around the world, all committed to delivering verified, real-time updates from every region of the globe.

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—🇽🇰/🇺🇸/🇬🇱/🇩🇰 Do you think Kosovo would recognize a potential annexation of Greenland by the United States?

➡️ Let us know your opinion!

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇷🇸/🇺🇸/🇬🇱/🇩🇰 NEW: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reportedly stated that Serbia would not join any war or even issue a public condemnation if the US were to “occupy” Greenland, while also saying EU states should apologize to Serbia over Kosovo.

➡️ He reiterated that Serbia will not recognize Kosovo and will maintain military neutrality as long as he is president.

🔗 Picture: The Global Eye (@tglobaleye)

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—❗️🪖🇭🇷 NEW: Croatia is preparing to buy the two largest warships in its history, with an estimated cost between €660 million and €1.6 billion, in a program focused mainly on coastal defense capabilities.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇲🇰❌🇧🇬 NEW: North Macedonia’s PM Hristijan Mickoski has accused Bulgaria of seeking a “complete redefinition” and even “destruction” of the Macedonian nation and identity, after Sofia again refused to fully recognize the Macedonian language and objected to official documents drafted in it.

➡️ Mickoski’s remarks come amid a renewed diplomatic clash over an Action Plan on minority rights and broader EU-related documents, with Skopje demanding “full respect and recognition of the Macedonian language” from Bulgaria, which continues to question its distinct status.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English