Clashes in Northern Kosovo Escalate as Serb Demonstrators confront NATO Forces
Violent clashes erupted in Kosovo’s northern municipalities, leaving injuries reported on both sides between Serb protesters and KFOR peacekeepers protecting municipal buildings. Serb leaders tallied 52 Serb injuries and noted that several NATO troops sustained harm as tensions rose after ethnic Albanian mayors began serving in towns with predominantly Serb residents. The Serb community opposed the new authorities and attempted to hinder access to government offices, colliding with Kosovo police officers who are mostly ethnic Albanian following last year’s withdrawal by Serb authorities.
The confrontations affected the communities of Zvečan, Leposavić, and Zubin Potok. In Zvečan, Kosovo police used pepper spray as demonstrators pressed toward the local government facility. Protesters hurled tear gas and stun grenades at KFOR personnel and defaced NATO vehicles with the letter Z, a symbol associated with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Radio Free Europe documented the events and released a recording from a town of roughly 10,000 residents, with Associated Press among the reporting partners.
Is ready
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic announced the army’s high combat readiness in response to the clashes. He reported 52 ethnic Serbs wounded during Monday’s events, with three in serious condition, and urged Serbs in Kosovo to refrain from engaging with NATO troops.
During the confrontations, Italian and Hungarian contingents of the KFOR mission faced unprovoked attacks and sustained injuries, including broken limbs and burns from incendiary devices, according to a KFOR statement. Hungary confirmed seven soldiers seriously hurt and noted a total of 20 Hungarian personnel wounded; Italy reported 14 wounded soldiers.
The incident underscored the need for restraint and urged a halt to unilateral actions that could destabilize the region. The prevailing emphasis was on preventing further unilateral measures by Kosovan authorities and on steps by all sides to de‑escalate tensions immediately, as emphasized by European and global leaders.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni highlighted the importance of preventing further escalation, while Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani accused President Vucic of destabilizing the region.
Osmani also asserted that illegal Serb groups were transforming into gangs that attacked Kosovo police, KFOR personnel, and journalists, and she called for accountability for those responsible for destabilizing Northern Kosovo (Associated Press).
International reactions followed, with the European Union, the United States, and several European nations coordinating to prevent further escalation in the area. Serbs form the majority in the northern part of Kosovo and have not accepted Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence and its secession from Serbia.
Source notes and on‑the‑ground reporting contributed to the evolving picture of events in northern Kosovo, a persistent focal point for regional stability concerns (Associated Press).