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At least 14 Serbian civic and opposition figures faced advanced spyware targeting.

The Claim

At least 14 students, activists, and opposition politicians in Serbia were targeted with advanced spyware beginning in 2026, in the country’s largest documented spyware-surveillance wave.

Verified by Lenz ·

The Short Version

The evidence supports the reported surveillance wave involving at least 14 Serbian students, activists, and opposition politicians. Forensic researchers identified advanced tools including Pegasus and NoviSpy, and described the episode as Serbia’s largest documented spyware wave. One infection trace dates to December 2025, making the stated 2026 start a minor simplification.

Caveats

  • At least one documented infection window began in December 2025, slightly complicating the stated 2026 start.
  • Many news reports derive the 14-person count and “largest documented wave” description from the same underlying SHARE Foundation investigation.
  • Being targeted does not necessarily mean every device was successfully infected, and Serbian authorities denied conducting unlawful surveillance.

The Receipts

  1. Pegasus Spyware Infection of Serbian Pro-Democracy Student Activist - The Citizen Lab

    citizenlab.ca

  2. Студенти у блокади: Најмање 14 људи шпијунирано недозвољеним софтвером - BBC News на српском

    bbc.com

  3. Studenti u blokadi: Najmanje 14 ljudi špijunirano nedozvoljenim softverom - BBC News na srpskom

    bbc.com

  4. More than a dozen Serbians targeted with mercenary spyware, digital rights group finds | The Straits Times

    straitstimes.com

  5. Serbians targeted with spyware in country's 'largest ...

    theguardian.com

  6. Spyware targeted Serbian protest organisers’ phones, report says | The Star

    thestar.com.my

  7. More than a dozen Serbians targeted with mercenary spyware, digital rights group says

    dailymaverick.co.za

  8. Serbian Authorities Deny Spyware Attacks on Student Protesters, Activists | Balkan Insight

    balkaninsight.com

  9. More than a dozen Serbians targeted with mercenary spyware - The Japan Times

    japantimes.co.jp

  10. Serbia: At least 14 students, activists and govt. representatives reportedly targeted by spyware ahead of elections - Business and Human Rights Centre

    business-humanrights.org

+ 21 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Serbia

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