Slovenia's sticky situation
Never use USB sticks you don't trust. Everyone wants to send their migrants to the Balkans, and Vučić is walking a tightrope — as usual. Plus: the legacy of Nadia Comăneci, and some painful goodbyes.
Good morning,
We're wrapping this up early on Friday morning - our eyes are barely open - but nothing stops Balkan Brew from bringing you the top stories from the region, right on schedule.
This week, we're looking at Slovenia and a major security breach involving China and some sneaky malware. Then we head over to Kosovo and their refugee deal with the US. And of course, Vučić - troubles at home, plus a visit to Ukraine. Also in the mix: standout gymnasts and some painful goodbyes.
But before we get into all that, we’re opening with some unfortunate news.
The European Conference of Rabbis, a biannual gathering of rabbis from across Europe, was supposed to take place in Sarajevo from June 16–18. But after Swissotel canceled the reservation at the last minute, the event was relocated to Munich.
The situation got messy. From the looks of it, some details were spun to stir up a scandal - and it worked. What was meant to be a forum for discussing religious topics and interfaith dialogue turned into a wave of antisemitic reactions from local politicians and social media users. We leave you with the somber words of Jakob Finci, President of the Jewish Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
IS IT WORTH IT? Paying attention to the quality of what we write about - and how we write it - is definitely a good use of our time. But what really keeps us going is the growing number of subscribers and readers. If you appreciate what we do, don’t forget to forward this newsletter and subscribe if you haven’t already.
A sticky situation
On Monday, Slovenian authorities announced that a batch of USB sticks purchased by the public administration came with some nasty surprises.
BRAND NEW. The sticks were brand new and hadn’t been used. Still, they came loaded with malicious code, which was flagged by antivirus software.
INFECTIONS. These USBs were handed out to at least twenty state institutions - including the presidency. Right now, it’s still unclear how harmful they actually are.
FIRST STEPS. According to Slovenia’s National Security Council, this could have been “the first step” in a broader cyber attack.
EVERYONE FREEZE. In response, the government raised the overall cybersecurity threat level and told everyone to stop using the sticks immediately.
BUY CHEAP, BUY TWICE. The USBs came from a Slovenian company called Extra Lux, which won the public tender for being the lowest bidder.
OOPSIE. The director of Extra Lux said the company didn’t modify or inspect the sticks - they just resold them as-is. The devices were made in China and “publicly available.”
A warehouse for unwanted migrants
Kosovo is the only country in the region - so far - that’s responded positively to the Trump administration’s request to host migrants deported from the US.
TEMPORARILY. According to acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Kosovo will host up to 50 individuals per year, with the goal of helping them safely return to their countries of origin.
THE CHOSEN ONES. The 50 will be picked from a proposed pool, provided they meet criteria related to rule of law and public order.
OUT OF MY WAY. This follows a Bloomberg report last week about Trump pushing Balkan countries- and others - to take in deportees.
Here’s how the CBS reported on the topic
MAYBE. It’s still unclear whether North Macedonia, which has agreed to take back its own citizens illegally staying in the US, will also accept deportees from other countries.
TAKE THEM ALL. Trump’s not the only one eyeing the Balkans as a holding space for unwanted migrants. The UK has floated plans to build return hubs and is also in talks with Kosovo.
LITERALLY EVERYONE. Italy turned its controversial camps for processing asylum seekers in Albania into return hubs back in March. And apparently, a few other EU countries are looking at similar options.
MAYBE NOT? Human Rights Watch weighed in back in May, urging the EU and the UK not to treat Balkan countries as a dumping ground for migrants, but instead to support their asylum systems.
The ever-balancing Vučić show
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić made his first visit to Ukraine this week, attending the Southeast Europe summit in Odesa.
NOT FOR ME. Yes, he showed up, and even offered help with reconstruction—but he didn’t sign the final declaration condemning Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine or calling for a full withdrawal of Russian forces.
CLASS ACT. Vučić made sure to stress that attending the summit wasn’t a betrayal of Russia, and that nobody pressured him into signing anything. The Ukrainian embassy in Belgrade clapped back, saying that’s exactly how a democratic country operates: “We will not dictate our demands to the Serbs as the Kremlin regime does.”
MISSING. Also missing from the declaration: Kosovo - apparently not invited as a favor to Serbia - and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with no explanation for its absence.
BALANCING. As always, Vučić is trying to walk a tightrope, Radio Free Europe noted - doing damage control after the backlash from his Moscow visit in May.
UNSURE. Meanwhile, the narrow victory of Vučić’s SNS party in local elections in Zaječar and Kosjerić is under scrutiny, as the opposition begins reviewing election materials after raising concerns about irregularities.
IN OTHER NEWS.
Croatia’s Ombudsman just released a report on the state of the country’s prisons - and it’s a disaster.
Staying in Croatia: the country has around 600,000 empty flats, and authorities are thinking about taxing owners to encourage them to rent them out long-term.
The Moldova Pride march is set for Sunday, 15 June in Chișinău. It’s already been hit with a wave of disinfo and online accusations claiming it’s harmful to children and was "imposed" by the EU.
In just the first four months of 2025, as many foreign workers entered Bulgaria as in the whole of 2024 - most of them coming from Asia.
The leader of the main opposition party in Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) has been arrested on corruption charges - an arrest with major political fallout.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING NADIA. The Romanian government has officially declared 2026 “the year of Nadia Comăneci” to mark the 50th anniversary of her legendary performance at the 1976 Olympics, when she became the first athlete ever to score a perfect 10.0 on the uneven bars.
WELL, ACTUALLY … Comăneci might be a national icon, but her story has a dark side. Before fleeing Romania in 1989, she lived through the harsh repression of Ceaușescu’s regime - and the notorious brutality of her trainer, Béla Károlyi.
While we’re on the topic of gymnastics: Bulgaria’s Stiliana Nikolova dominated at the European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, taking home three gold medals in just 73 minutes—for hoop, ball, and club.
ZBOGOM, STARI PRIJATELJI! Spare a thought for the bikovi - Zagreb’s old -school trams that have been clattering along the city’s tracks for 50 years. They’ll stop running on Sunday, 15 June, and yes, they’ll be missed. As N1 put it beautifully: maybe they weren’t the quietest, fastest, or comfiest - but they were ours.
That’s a wrap for this week. As always, if you spot a mistake, want to flag something, or just feel like saying hi, we’d love to hear from you - just reply to this email! You can also find us on Bluesky or LinkedIn.
Until next week - take care,
BB