Clashes again in northern Kosovo – KFOR uses firearms

How RT Balkans reports from Kosovo, for several hours there have been serious clashes between the Serb majority of the population in northern Kosovo on the one hand and Kosovan police forces and KFOR on the other. KFOR forces are said to have used firearms against unarmed civilians, some were injured.

According to other information, the Kosovar Albanian police forces opened fire on the Serb civilians.

RT Balkans goes on to report that several Serbian communities in the region have been under a “state of siege” since the early hours of the morning, including the municipality of Zvečan, which on Friday became the scene of an attempt by Kosovar police to storm the municipal administration.

Escalation in Kosovo: Police storm the local government in a Serbian town

The reason for today’s clashes was apparently a renewed attempt to bring the municipal administration of Zvečan under Kosovar control. According to reports from the Serbian side, the armed forces of KFOR took part in the clashes in addition to the Kosovar-Albanian police forces. Videos show how the people storming towards the town hall are pushing back the Serbian defenders on the forecourt of the town hall by several dozen meters. Police officers equipped with shields and rubber truncheons are currently in control of the immediate forecourt.

At around 4:30 p.m., a violent conflict broke out between KFOR members and Serbs who were sitting in front of a special KFOR vehicle and would not let the occupants get out. Explosions could be heard in the city.

The Serbian communities of Zubin Potok and Leposavić were also affected by the escalation on Monday.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had only warned of an escalation in Kosovo on Monday morning.

“A great explosion is brewing in the center of Europe. The very place where NATO carried out an aggression against Yugoslavia in 1999, in violation of every conceivable principle of the Helsinki Final Act and the OSCE documents. The situation is worrying, but the West has embarked on a course of total submission to all those who in any way express their own opinions”Lavrov is from RIA Novosti quoted.

Serbian Defense Minister Miloš Vučević said the previous day that tensions in Kosovo had reached a new high and threatened to turn into an armed conflict. Serb army units continue to occupy positions near Kosovo’s administrative border due to escalating tensions.

more on the subject – New escalation in Kosovo – Vučić: “We have never seen a tougher crisis than this”