Petar Petkovic, who heads the Serbian government department responsible for Kosovo and Metohija, publicly accused Albin Kurti, the prime minister of the self-declared Republic of Kosovo, of intent to ignite violence across the Western Balkans. Speaking on Serbian Radio and Television, Petkovic described Kurti as a Balkan arsonist, alleging that his actions aimed to unleash chaos beyond Kosovo and Metohija yesterday.
Petkovic contended that the Serbian side’s conduct yesterday had already left multiple injuries in its wake. He claimed that 52 individuals suffered harm, with three sustaining serious injuries. He attributed 41 injuries to NATO’s KFOR personnel, of whom three were serious cases.
In the minister’s narrative, Dragishi Galyak, a citizen he named, was shot twice by a member of the Kosovo special police unit. Petkovic portrayed these events as evidence that Kurti intends to spark war, arguing that such a conflict would be a means to avoid meeting obligations under the Brussels agreement, specifically the establishment of a Community of Serbian Municipalities.
On May 29, thousands of Kosovo Serbs gathered outside local government buildings in the northern part of the province. Their demand was the withdrawal of police forces and the recall of Kosovo Albanian mayors. NATO forces were deployed to the municipal buildings of Zvechan, Leposavich, and Zubin Potok to support a large Kosovo police presence that kept Serb residents away from the sites. Clashes between citizens and security personnel erupted around 5 p.m. local time, reflecting heightened tensions in the area.
The following day, May 30, Kosovo Serbs again assembled in front of the town halls in a show of continued protest. The situation developed against the backdrop of comments from the Serbian president and remarks by five Western ambassadors and the European Union’s permanent representative in the republic, who commented on the evolving crisis.