Thousands of ethnic Albanians are protesting in Pristina after the Kosovo Specialist Chambers convicted former KLA leaders Hashim Thaci, Jakup Krasniqi, Kadri Veseli and Rexhep Selimi of war crimes. The Democratic Party of Kosovo is seeking changes to the court’s governing law, including the possibility of holding a retrial in Kosovo, while Prime Minister Albin Kurti has criticized the verdict and called for correction on appeal. Legal experts caution against abolishing the court, and international observers warn that Serbia and its allies could exploit the ruling to promote their own narratives about the Kosovo war.

Women’s organisations held protests in 17 Croatian towns and cities ahead of the National Day Against Violence Against Women, demanding a specific law on gender-based violence, stronger criminal enforcement, standardized risk assessments, specialist training and coordinated institutional action. The groups cited the September 8 femicide in Slatina, where a woman was killed after years of reported abuse, as evidence of systemic failures. They criticized Family and Social Policy Minister Alen Ruzic for comments that appeared to blame the victim and called for accountability, arguing that withdrawn reports or protective measures do not remove the state’s duty to protect women.

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers convicted former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and former Kosovo Liberation Army commanders Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi of war crimes committed during the 1998–99 Kosovo conflict. Thaci received 25 years in prison, while Veseli, Krasniqi and Selimi were sentenced to 18, 25 and 13 years respectively, and their lawyers plan to appeal. Kosovo’s political leadership, opposition figures and supporters condemned the judgment as unjust and politically influenced, while Albania’s president and prime minister also defended the KLA and criticized the trial. Serbia’s Interior Minister Ivica Dacic hailed the ruling as proof that the KLA was a criminal and terrorist organization, although President Aleksandar Vucic criticized the dismissal of crimes-against-humanity charges and cautioned against triumphalism. British and EU officials stressed that the case concerned individual accountability rather than the legitimacy of the KLA, while Croatia said the verdict did not erase the broader context of repression by Slobodan Milosevic’s regime.

A live blog follows the verdict and reactions in The Hague in the trial of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi. Prosecutors sought 45-year prison sentences over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1998–99 Kosovo conflict, while the four defendants pleaded not guilty and their lawyers requested acquittals.

Saudi dissident and human rights activist Abdulrahman al-Khalidi was released in Bulgaria after four years and ten months of administrative detention. Bulgarian authorities had designated him a national-security threat, while activists, lawyers and rights groups alleged beatings, poor conditions and a lack of transparency. His release followed a change in his control measure as he approached the maximum migration-detention period. Although Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court ruled in 2024 that he was eligible for asylum, state agencies continued to detain him; his case remains before the European Court of Human Rights. Al-Khalidi fled Saudi Arabia after becoming politically active during the Arab Spring and later continued his activism in exile.

Serbia, which has been battling around 20 wildfires including a major blaze in the Deliblato Sands reserve, accepted a Russian Il-76 firefighting aircraft without activating the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The European Commission said it remains ready to coordinate assistance and provided satellite imagery, but questioned Serbia’s reliance on Russia amid strained EU-Russia relations. Serbian officials cited the Russian aircraft’s ability to drop up to 42 tonnes of water per pass, while President Aleksandar Vucic said Serbia had previously considered both EU and Russian offers but believed its own forces were sufficient.

The EU is moving toward rules that would allow migrants awaiting deportation to be transferred to “return hubs” in third countries, prompting concern that Western Balkan states could host them. Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina already possess EU-funded detention and reception infrastructure, while Albania has an arrangement with Italy and Serbia has a readmission framework involving Austria and Hungary. Human-rights groups and legal advocates warn that existing facilities, rapid deportations and weak asylum systems could deny migrants access to legal assistance, interpretation and appeals, while exposing them to unlawful pushbacks, poor detention conditions and refoulement. The regulations had been approved by EU lawmakers but still required Council sign-off, and no Western Balkan government had confirmed plans to host such hubs.

Hungary’s new Tisza government marked its first 100 days by claiming progress on rule-of-law reforms, anti-corruption measures, EU relations and budget savings, while Fidesz accused it of failing to deliver social promises. Public-service television resumed news broadcasts after a month off air, but questions remain over whether new appointments can restore credibility; a leaked MTI report detailed years of political pressure and censorship under Fidesz. In Poland, fugitive former deputy justice minister Marcin Romanowski was reportedly traced to Russian-backed Transnistria, while authorities said they had foiled an alleged Russian assassination plot in Warsaw. Slovakia’s government continued arguing over the price of CEZ’s stake in a nuclear-energy company and moved closer to cooperation with the far-right Republika movement. In Czechia, ministers began negotiations over the 2027 budget, confirmed the site of Prague’s planned mega-hospital and reported a declining norovirus outbreak at a spa.

Balkan Insight reviews six major regional developments: Turkey’s law linked to PKK disarmament and concerns about its impact on Kurdish rights; suspected efforts to reshape Serbia’s media landscape before elections; HDZ BiH’s US lobbying contract and its possible energy and political objectives; Serbian education reforms critics say could restrict schools and protest movements; allegations of police violence at Bulgaria’s Pastrogor migrant detention centre; and Albania’s experiment with the AI chatbot Diella as a government minister. Across the stories, the common theme is skepticism about the stated motives behind consequential government and political decisions.

A historic drought is severely affecting Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary, damaging agriculture, vineyards, brewing, tourism, river transport, groundwater and power generation. Climate change has made the region’s soil-moisture deficits roughly 11 times more likely, while projections point to more frequent and intense droughts. Experts argue that the three countries need stronger water retention, improved infrastructure, better monitoring, landscape restoration and coordinated regional management. Existing responses are widely criticised as fragmented or too slow, although Hungary’s government is considering dams and new climate legislation despite the political sensitivity of major water projects.