https://www.rt.com/news/460433-serbia-army-kosovo-raid/
Serbian army on high alert amid Kosovo police raids in ethnic Serb area
Published time: 28 May, 2019 09:54 Edited time: 28 May, 2019 11:48
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A member of the Kosovo Police Special Unit near the village of Cabra during the May 28, 2019 raids in the predominantly Serb north of Kosovo © AFP / Armend Nimani
Vucic has accused Kosovo’s authorities of attempting to “criminalize” and intimidate ethnic Serbs as he vowed to protect them, Serbian national broadcaster RTS reports.
Kosovo special police (ROSU) launched a raid in region’s north. Gunfire was reportedly heard and armored police vehicles were seen on roads as police arrested alleged 13 ethnic Serb residents.
Kosovo’s foreign minister tweeted that the operation targeted members of an “organized crime network involved in smuggling, bribery, etc.”
Gunfire can be heard in videos from the area posted online. Clashes reportedly took place in the town of Zubin Potok, where locals erected barricades and burned tires in an effort to resist the police operation. Several Serbs and one policeman were injured, RTS reports.
Kosovan authorities have warned Belgrade to stay out of the matter and urged local Serbs to “support the fight against organized crime.”
A Russian citizen member of UNMIK, the United Nations mission in Kosovo, is also among those detained by ROSU, Vucic said.
Moscow views the ROSU raids as “another provocation aimed to intimidate and force out the non-Albanian population and forcibly establish control of the area,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in an official statement. It has accused the US and EU of emboldening Kosovo’s “provocative behavior.”
Also on rt.com Serbia puts military on high alert over incident involving ‘Kosovo special forces’
Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a claim not recognized by Belgrade as well as Russia, China, Spain, Greece, and a number of other countries. About half of UN member states have issued official recognition.
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https://www.rt.com/news/460439-police-kosovo-moscow-reaction/
Raids by Kosovo police in Serb majority area part of ‘provocations’ indulged by US – Moscow
Published time: 28 May, 2019 11:00 Edited time: 28 May, 2019 11:42
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FILE PHOTO © Reuters / Hazir Reka
Moscow regards the Tuesday intrusion by Kosovo’s special forces (ROSU) into the Serb-populated northern municipalities as a “provocation,” spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Pristina’s ultimate aim, she explained, is “to intimidate and force out the non-Albanian population and forcibly establish control of the area.”
Also on rt.com Serbian army on high alert amid Kosovo police raids in ethnic Serb area
On Tuesday morning, Kosovo special forces (ROSU) launched a raid in the town of Zubin Potok in the Serb-dominated north-western part of Kosovo. Gunfire was reportedly heard on the streets as police, according to Pristina, targeted an “organized crime network.” Over a dozen ethnic Serbs are said to have been arrested.
Moscow said the operation violates the agreements between Belgrade and Pristina which prohibit Kosovo special forces, armed with long-barreled weapons, from penetrating deep into the Serbian municipalities.
Following the raids, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic put the country’s army on high alert and accused Kosovo authorities of “criminalizing” ethnic Serbs.
If you like this story, share it with a friend!
Serbian army on high alert amid Kosovo police raids in ethnic Serb area
Published time: 28 May, 2019 09:54 Edited time: 28 May, 2019 11:48
Get short URL
A member of the Kosovo Police Special Unit near the village of Cabra during the May 28, 2019 raids in the predominantly Serb north of Kosovo © AFP / Armend Nimani
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Vucic has accused Kosovo’s authorities of attempting to “criminalize” and intimidate ethnic Serbs as he vowed to protect them, Serbian national broadcaster RTS reports.
Kosovo special police (ROSU) launched a raid in region’s north. Gunfire was reportedly heard and armored police vehicles were seen on roads as police arrested alleged 13 ethnic Serb residents.
Kosovo’s foreign minister tweeted that the operation targeted members of an “organized crime network involved in smuggling, bribery, etc.”
Gunfire can be heard in videos from the area posted online. Clashes reportedly took place in the town of Zubin Potok, where locals erected barricades and burned tires in an effort to resist the police operation. Several Serbs and one policeman were injured, RTS reports.
Kosovan authorities have warned Belgrade to stay out of the matter and urged local Serbs to “support the fight against organized crime.”
A Russian citizen member of UNMIK, the United Nations mission in Kosovo, is also among those detained by ROSU, Vucic said.
Moscow views the ROSU raids as “another provocation aimed to intimidate and force out the non-Albanian population and forcibly establish control of the area,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in an official statement. It has accused the US and EU of emboldening Kosovo’s “provocative behavior.”
Kosovan actors have grown used to getting away with provocations.
In 2013, Belgrade and Pristina made a spoken agreement that Kosovo’s forces would stay out of the Serb-majority northern areas of the breakaway region. Despite that, Kosovo has repeatedly sent its special forces there. During a visit to the area by Kosovan president Hashim Thaci last September, they took over a local power station and detained several Serbs, which also prompted Vucic to put his military on the highest level of combat alert.Also on rt.com Serbia puts military on high alert over incident involving ‘Kosovo special forces’
Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a claim not recognized by Belgrade as well as Russia, China, Spain, Greece, and a number of other countries. About half of UN member states have issued official recognition.
If you like this story, share it with a friend!
https://www.rt.com/news/460439-police-kosovo-moscow-reaction/
Raids by Kosovo police in Serb majority area part of ‘provocations’ indulged by US – Moscow
Published time: 28 May, 2019 11:00 Edited time: 28 May, 2019 11:42
Get short URL
FILE PHOTO © Reuters / Hazir Reka
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Moscow regards the Tuesday intrusion by Kosovo’s special forces (ROSU) into the Serb-populated northern municipalities as a “provocation,” spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Pristina’s ultimate aim, she explained, is “to intimidate and force out the non-Albanian population and forcibly establish control of the area.”
Also on rt.com Serbian army on high alert amid Kosovo police raids in ethnic Serb area
On Tuesday morning, Kosovo special forces (ROSU) launched a raid in the town of Zubin Potok in the Serb-dominated north-western part of Kosovo. Gunfire was reportedly heard on the streets as police, according to Pristina, targeted an “organized crime network.” Over a dozen ethnic Serbs are said to have been arrested.
Moscow said the operation violates the agreements between Belgrade and Pristina which prohibit Kosovo special forces, armed with long-barreled weapons, from penetrating deep into the Serbian municipalities.
Nevertheless it happens over and over again in the recent years with the connivance of the KFOR which have the UN Security Council mandate to ensure peace and security in the region.
Such “defiance” of Pristina stems from the “perennial indulgence” on behalf of the EU and the US, Zaharova said, accusing Kosovo leaders of inciting inter-ethnic hostility.Following the raids, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic put the country’s army on high alert and accused Kosovo authorities of “criminalizing” ethnic Serbs.
If you like this story, share it with a friend!
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