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News > Serbia

Serbia-Kosovo Tension; Russia Claims Provocation by the West

  • NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR) said prepared to intervene

    NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR) said prepared to intervene "if stability is jeopardized in the northern municipalities of Kosovo" after tensions rise at the Kosovo-Serbia border. | Photo: Twitter @anadoluagency

Published 1 August 2022
Opinion

The tension arose after Kosovo prepared to implement a law requiring Serbs living in the disputed territory to replace their Serbian-issued vehicle registrations with Kosovo license plates as of August 1.

Russia accuses the US and EU of creating provocations to escalate tensions between Serbia and Kosovo following a ban on entering Kosovar soil with Serbian documents.

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Local media reported Sunday that Kosovar forces are blocking roads with Serbia, while gunfire is heard on the border between the two sides, as well as anti-aircraft sirens in the north of the town Kosovska Mitrovica, where, since the end of the Kosovo war (1998-1999), there are two zones: in the south lives the Albanian majority and in the north lives the Serbs.

According to sources, Kosovo Albanians gather in groups in the southern part of the city, on the bridge leading to the Serb-inhabited northern part. In this regard, the Kosovar Police announced that the crossings of the villages Jarinje and Brnjak are closed to passenger and vehicle traffic.

In turn, the Serbian Defense Ministry said in a statement that its Army "has not yet crossed the administrative line". The Serbs also accused the Pristina Administration for the large amount of false news spread about some conflicts between the Serbian Army and the Kosovo Police.

In this regard, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated that the Kosovar Army plans to carry out an attack against the Serbian population living in the north of the autonomous province of Kosovo and Metojia.

"I don't think we have ever been in a more difficult and complicated situation than the one we are in today. Why did I say that? The regime in Pristina is trying, by presenting itself as a victim, to exploit the mood of the world," the Serbian president said.

The tension arose after Kosovo prepared to implement a law requiring Serbs living in the disputed territory to replace their Serbian-issued vehicle registrations with Kosovo license plates as of August 1. 

In addition, Kosovo may also require the replacement of other types of documents, such as ID cards, and could seek to ban the entry of travelers with Belgrade-issued documents.

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