Belgrade Protesters Burn Kosovo Flag Amid Tensions in Kosovo-Serbia Relations

Participants in a mass protest in Belgrade torched the flag of Kosovo, which remains unrecognized, according to TASS. The demonstration carried the slogan Kosova is Serbia and aimed to highlight resistance to what the organizers described as the suppression of the Serb population in Kosovo and Metohija. Late in the evening on December 12, a procession of protesters moved through Belgrade’s center and set fire to Kosovo’s flag near the presidential palace, a scene witnessed by many onlookers. Law enforcement did not intervene with arrests, and the event unfolded without notable confrontations, leaving the surrounding area relatively quiet as night fell. Former Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova asserted that Moscow would assist Belgrade in safeguarding Serbia’s legitimate national interests in the Kosovo matter, grounding her claim in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244. In the north of Kosovo, Serb residents began constructing barricades as authorities detained Dejan Pantic, a former police officer suspected of assaulting Kosovo police officers. Kosovo police reported three clashes in the northern sector on the night of December 11, underscoring ongoing tensions in the region. The day’s developments arrived amid a broader pattern of protests and security concerns that have persisted since the Kosovo question reemerged as a focal point for regional politics and international diplomacy, drawing attention from observers across the Balkans and beyond, with multiple statements from political representatives and security agencies reflecting the fragility of the situation and the potential for further incidents.