“If they don’t want peace, Serbia will win.” What’s Happening in Kosovo

Prime Minister of partially recognized Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said local police were shot by the Serb. He stressed that “the main culprits of this mess” are Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and the director of the Kosovo office and Metohija Petar Petkovic.

Kurti also accused Serbs of “national chauvinism” and added that the next few weeks will “be tense”. RTK.

“Our state’s law enforcement and security agencies are collecting information, monitoring the situation, and will act to protect the law and its citizens, territorial integrity and sovereignty,” he said.

Earlier, Vucic called on the international community and the authorities in Pristina to keep the peace in Kosovo and Metohija: “I ask them for peace, I ask them to keep it. If they don’t want peace, I say Serbia will win. <...> We have nowhere to retreat, we are cornered. I had very difficult meetings with representatives of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija.”

The politician also noted that the situation has escalated due to “Pristina’s unreasonable policy” and that the West does not need this conflict at the moment. Vučić stressed that the self-proclaimed government of Kosovo is preparing an operation against Kosovo Serbs. “They sent their troops in advance, along with 21 tons of fuel oil and everything else, to the administrative crossing points “Jarine” and “Brnjak” to stop anyone with Serbian personal documents,” he said.

Now Vučić urgently arrived at the General Staff building.

Milovan Dretsun, chairman of the Serbian National Assembly Committee for Kosovo and Metohija, said Prime Minister Kurti is “totally unpredictable” so large-scale conflicts can be expected.

“Albin Kurti is acting like a tourist, not a rational politician, he is completely unpredictable and no one supports him. It is hopeful that Pristina is currently engaged in active diplomatic efforts, but large-scale conflicts cannot be ruled out. “If Kurti doesn’t recover, the situation could be dramatic,” he said. Kurir.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic noted that “everything we see today” is the result of Kurti’s unilateral actions. “Serbia did nothing to start this crisis, Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija did absolutely nothing to cause what we see today. Rather, it is the epitome of years of cruel treatment of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and the disregard for international agreements.”

How did the events unfold

In the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica (controlled by Serbia), at around 17:30 local time (18:30 Moscow time), the air sirens sounded, they write “Evening News”. In the southern part of the city (under the control of the partially recognized Republic of Kosovo), groups of Albanians gather and approach the bridge to the north.

Kosovo police closed the Brnjak checkpoint. The situation is the same at the Rudnica administrative gate, where the police only allow vehicles with Kosovo license plates.

Near the bridge over the Ibar, you can see the International Security Forces in Kosovo (KFOR) and Italian gendarmes, as well as special police units. Kurti sent special forces to Yarinje with automatic rifles.

Local Serbs in turn set up barricades and blocked the way of Albanian special forces in the cities of Rudar and Zupcha. In addition, Belgrade sends the army and planes to the border.

According to Kurir, Kosovo police officers beat up a Serbian citizen as he tried to break through the barricades set up by the Serbs.

Earlier, the Pristina government announced that from midnight, everyone arriving at the checkpoints with a Republic of Serbia ID card and vehicles with Serbian license plates will be issued an entry-exit document.

“It seems to me that Serbia will have to begin the gentrification of the Balkans. Vladimir Djukanovic, a senior official of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, wrote on social networks.

“The Serbian army has not yet crossed the border”

At around 21:00 Moscow time, the Serbian Ministry of Defense reported that the country’s army has not yet crossed the border and has not entered the territory of Kosovo and Metohija.

“Concerning the large amount of disinformation deliberately published by the Pristina administration and spread through fake social media accounts and certain websites, allegedly that there were some clashes between the Serbian army and the so-called Kosovo police, the Ministry of Defense stated that the Serbian army has not yet crossed the administrative line and that Kosovo and Metohija reported that he did not enter their territory in any way,” he said.

Kosovo police also reported disinformation, rebuttal News about citizens and police injured during the tension.

“Belgrade in the foreground”

Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described Pristina’s decision to forcibly change the personal documents and registration numbers of local Serbs as “another step towards the expulsion of the Serb population from Kosovo and the expulsion of Kosovo-Serb institutions from Kosovo”. Protection of the rights of Serb residents from the arbitrariness of Pristina extremists.”

“Kosovo leaders know that when it comes to a direct attack on Serbs’ freedoms, they will not remain indifferent, and they deliberately escalate to launch a military scenario. Of course, Belgrade is at the forefront of the attack that the West wants to “neutralize” with Kosovo Albanian hands,” he said.

“We call on Pristina and the US and EU behind it to stop the provocations and respect the rights of Serbs in Kosovo,” the diplomat said. said.

Vladimir Dzhabarov, the first deputy chairman of the international committee of the Federation Council, also commented on the aggravation of the situation on the border between Serbia and Kosovo and expressed his confidence that “the British and Americans are behind this arrogant behavior of the Kosovars”. “I think it would be great if the Security Council met and called on both sides to show restraint. I don’t understand what the Kosovars are trying to do there. “They are provoking the Serbs, which is understandable,” he said.

The Republic of Kosovo declared its independence in 2008. Its sovereignty was recognized by 114 countries, but 17 later retracted its decision. According to the Serbian constitution, the territory of the Republic of Kosovo is part of Serbia and is part of it as the Autonomous Region of Kosovo and Metohija, but is not actually controlled by Belgrade. According to official figures, there are currently 3,775 NATO troops in Kosovo.