Kosovo Accuses Serbia of Armed Clashes and Investigates Possible Russian Role. NATO Expresses Concern
Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 following a guerrilla uprising and NATO intervention in 1999, has accused Serbia of arming and supporting Serbian insurgents.
Kosovo's Minister of Internal Affairs, Jelal Svecla, stated in an interview with the Associated Press that investigators are examining evidence of Russia's involvement, Serbia's ally, in the armed attack. According to him, after a one-day shoot-out, Russian weapons, other equipment, and documents indicating Russia's involvement were discovered.
Clashes between the police and armed Serbs hiding in a monastery turned the peaceful village in northern Kosovo into a conflict zone over the past weekend.
Kosovo's President, Vjosa Osmani, accused Serbia and its President, Aleksandar Vucic, of responsibility for the armed attack by a group on Kosovo's police in the northern part of the country last weekend, stating in an interview with Reuters on Thursday that Kosovo "experienced an attack."
Serbia's President, Aleksandar Vucic, responded by saying that the armed attackers were local Kosovo Serbs who "no longer want to endure Kurti's terror," referring to the Kosovo government.
When asked why Serbian fighters were photographed in combat uniforms, Vucic claimed that anyone can purchase such uniforms in regular stores and that those seen do not belong to Serbian military or police forces.
After Kosovo accused it of organizing an attack in the northern Kosovo region populated by ethnic Serbs last Sunday, Serbia turned to its long-time ally Russia. Vucic attempted to justify their actions by falsely claiming during a meeting with the Russian Ambassador in Belgrade that the Kosovo government was carrying out ethnic cleansing.
Serbia's pro-Russian government denied involvement in the armed group, but officially declared a day of mourning for the three killed in the incident. Vucic announced that the controversial Kosovo Serb businessman and politician Milan Radoicic, accused of leading the armed group that killed a Kosovo police officer on Sunday, would be questioned in this regard.
Today, on September 29, 2023, the North Atlantic Council (NATO) convened to discuss the situation in Kosovo. Allies expressed deep concern about the escalating tensions in northern Kosovo. NATO announced that they had "approved additional forces to address the current situation" in Kosovo, but did not specify their numbers or countries of origin.