Kosovo

The Serbian president had stated Serbia has "never been in a more complex and difficult situation [with Kosovo] than it is today."

The KoSSev news site reported on Sunday evening that it had been targeted by a DDOS attack, adding that it's IT team was working to restore functionality. Of course, Belgrade is also at the forefront of the attack, which the West wants to additionally 'neutralize' with Kosovo Albanian hands." Russia had claimed that it wanted to "denazify" Ukraine shortly before launching its invasion of the country in February. Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti issued a statement on Sunday evening, stating that Serbians began blocking roads and shooting ahead of the planned issuance of temporary documents. We have gathered in protest against the Kurti Government's decisions regarding IDs and license plates," a Serbian protester in the village of Rudare told Radio Free Europe. The roadblocks were reportedly set up by local Serbs who were protesting measures set to be put in place by Kosovo overnight.

Fourteen years after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia, some 50,000 Serbs living in the north use license plates and documents issued by Serbian ...

Italian peacekeepers were visible in and around Mitrovica on Sunday. Kosovo police said they had to close the border crossings. "The overall security situation in the Northern municipalities of Kosovo is tense," NATO-led mission to Kosovo KFOR said in a statement.

Türkiye also has troops in Kosovo as part of KFOR's multinational peacekeeping force in the Balkans. Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo rose Sunday ahead of ...

''The overall security situation in the northern municipalities of Kosovo is tense. Kosovo, which Albanians predominantly inhabit, broke away from Serbia in 1999 and declared its independence in 2008. NATO's force in Kosovo says it is prepared to intervene if stability is jeopardized

Kosovo's government is acccusing neighboring Serbia of trying to destabilize the country as ethnic Serbs block roads and conduct other incidents in the ...

The NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo said it was monitoring the “tense” situation in northern Kosovo and was “prepared to intervene if stability is jeopardized.” But Serbia refuses to recognize Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence. A Kosovo government statement said that many “aggressive acts” like road blocking and shooting in the northern areas dominated by ethnic Serbs were committed Sunday and charged that they were incited by Serbia.

The Kosovo government postponed implementation of a decision that would oblige Serbs in the north of the country to apply for car license plates issued by ...

Kosovo police said they had to close the border crossings. Italian peacekeepers were visible in and around Mitrovica on Sunday. The government of Prime Minister Albin Kurti said it would give Serbs a transitional period of 60 days to get Kosovo license plates, a year after giving up trying to impose them because of similar protests.

Kosovo's government is acccusing neighboring Serbia of trying to destabilize the country as ethnic Serbs block roads and conduct other incidents in the ...

The reverse is required by Serbia for vehicles from Kosovo that go to Serbia. But Serbia refuses to recognize Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence. The NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo said it was monitoring the “tense” situation in northern Kosovo and was “prepared to intervene if stability is jeopardized.”

Kosovo agreed to postpone by 30 days its plan to make government-issued ID cards and car plates mandatory for all residents after members of its restive ...

Protesters set up roadblocks and shots were fired after Pristina brought in rules that would mean Serbs in Kosovo must use Kosovo licence plates.

A similar rule is applied by Belgrade authorities to Kosovars who visit Serbia. Kosovo police said they had to close the border crossings. The statement said KFOR was “monitoring closely” and “prepared to intervene if stability is jeopardised”.

The NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping mission said it is monitoring the protests over a new ID law and is prepared to intervene "if stability is jeopardized.”

The weekend unrest comes as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has stirred wider tensions in the region. The Western military alliance launched a bombing campaign in 1999 that hit targets across what was then combined Serbia and Montenegro in a bid to halt Serbia’s onslaught against ethnic Kosovar Albanians fighting for autonomy. Josep Borrell, the European Union’s top diplomat, welcomed a decision by Kosovo to delay the new measures until Sept. 1 and called for all roadblocks to be removed immediately.

The recent diplomatic moves by Russi are all about removing the US from the powerful position it obtained in 1999, in the wake of the Kosovo war.

Russia's TASS media reported in 2021 that “Serbian President Alexander Vucic praised the quality of Russian weapons and announced the procurement of the Pantsir-S1M air defense system while examining the Serbian military exposition, dedicated to the Day of Unity, Freedom and National Flag of Serbia.” She added, “Kosovar leaders know that the Serbs will not remain indifferent when it comes to a direct attack on their freedoms, and they deliberately escalate in order to launch a military scenario. He views the international authoritarian coalition of China-Turkey-Iran-Russia as a key to the multi-polar world — one where US hegemony will be weakened. Spain has said in the past that it is very close to the Serbian government. This was a defining moment for a younger Vladimir Putin as it has been theorized that he has long wanted revenge on the West for what it did in 1999. China and the US, for instance, are at loggerheads over Taiwan and a potential visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

On July 31, ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo blocked roads near two key border crossings with Serbia as tensions rose in the region a day before the two ...

Satellite photos taken before and after the attack show that a small building in the middle of the Olenivka prison complex was damaged, its roof in splinters. The department said they played various roles in Russia’s attempts to manipulate and destabilize the United States and its allies and partners, including Ukraine. The Kremlin said importers had to establish an account in dollars or euros at Russia’s third-largest bank, Gazprombank, then a second account in rubles. Headquartered in Mykolayiv, a strategically important city that borders the Russian-occupied Kherson region, Nibulon, specializes in the production and export of wheat, barley. The Russian Defense Ministry on July 30 published a list naming 48 Ukrainian fighters aged 20 to 62 who were killed in the attack. "We are ready for the EU and are moving forward with a firm step toward full membership of the union. Putin stressed that the navy's ability to respond to threats with "lightning speed" was key to protecting Russia's sovereignty and freedom. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. We only need a decision from the people themselves, who have not yet made it for themselves," he said in his nightly address on July 31. Turkey's Defense Ministry said in a statement that the vessel was expected in Istanbul on August 2. Ukraine has always been a reliable partner and will remain one should Russia respect its part of the deal," Kuleba tweeted. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

Tensions arise after Pristina asks people entering Kosovo with Serbian IDs to replace them with a temporary document.

They remain politically loyal to Serbia which still provides financial support. The latest tensions came after the government in Pristina said from Monday, people entering Kosovo with Serbian IDs would have to replace them with a temporary document during their stay in the country. Kosovo’s government has postponed for a month the implementation of new border rules that sparked tensions in the north of the country where ethnic Serbs blocked roads and unknown gunmen fired on police.

Fears of Balkan instability grew on Sunday as ethnic Serbs blocked roads in protest over regulations requiring Serbs in northern Kosovo to use Pristina-issued ...

“Expect all roadblocks to be removed immediately,” he said. “The overall security situation in the Northern municipalities of Kosovo is tense,” KFOR said in a statement, adding that the “mission is monitoring closely and is prepared to intervene if stability is jeopardized, in accordance with its mandate.” The spat over license plates already fueled tensions last year.

Amidst escalating tension in Kosovo, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said: "No matter how difficult it is, there will be no surrender, Serbia will win," ...

Kosovo accused Serbia on Sunday of fomenting unrest and trying to undermine the “rule of law” in the breakaway province. “The atmosphere has been heated up, and Serbs will not suffer any more atrocities,” Vucic said in Belgrade on Sunday. “My plea to everyone is to try to keep the peace at almost any cost. Vucic has claimed that “provocations” against Serbs living in Kosovo have increased since Kurti, a nationalist who champions the idea of Albanian unification, became prime minister last year. At least one Serb has been reportedly beaten up by Kosovo police units as he tried to get through the barricades. He added that Kosovo police have been deployed to the administrative line with Serbia in order to confiscate Serb documents and license plates, starting at midnight. NATO occupied Kosovo in 1999, after a 78-day air war against what was then Yugoslavia. The province declared independence in 2008, with Western support. “It remains for us to come to the preservation of peace. The force was spotted guarding a bridge across the Ibar river, footage from the scene circulated by local media shows. He issued a plea for peace in the breakaway province, but added that Belgrade won’t stand idly by if ethnic Serbs are targeted for another pogrom. Ethnic Serbs have reportedly set up barricades on several roads in Kosovska Mitrovica and its vicinity. “It is important that the dialogue continues and that we try to solve things peacefully. According to Vucic, Pristina’s move has been planned at all levels for a very long time.

Kosovo's government on Monday began issuing extra documents to Serbian citizens crossing into its territory, as Serbs living in the north of the country who ...

Italian peacekeepers were visible in and around then northern town of Mitrovica on Sunday. A year ago, after local Serbs blocked the same roads in another row over license plates, Kosovo's government deployed special police forces and Belgrade flew fighter jets close to the border. Following tensions on Sunday and consultations with US and EU ambassadors, the government said it would postpone until September 1 a decision giving local Serbs 60 days to switch to Kosovo license plates and requiring extra documents to be issued at the border to Serbian citizens, including those living in Kosovo without local documents.

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) - Kosovo's authorities early Monday moved to ease mounting ethnic tensions in the country by delaying a controversial order on vehicle ...

Vucic said Kosovo cannot stop its ethnic Serbs from using Serbian identity cards when they cross the border. For the past 11 years, the reverse was required by Serbia for vehicles driving from Kosovo that transit through Serbia. The NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo said it was monitoring the “tense” situation in northern Kosovo and was “prepared to intervene if stability is jeopardized.” But Serbia refuses to recognize Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence. He accused Kosovo of trying to make itself the victim and “taking advantage of the mood in the world where they think they can play cards,” he said, adding that Kurti is trying to be seen in the same light as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Kosovo government accused neighboring Serbia of instigating the riots in order to destabilize the country that declared independence in 2008 after a NATO intervention that stopped Serbia's bloody crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatists in 1999.

The Kosovo government postponed implementation of a decision that would oblige Serbs in the north to apply for car license plates after tensions heightened.

Kosovo police said they had to close the border crossings. Kosovo police said they had to close the border crossings. Italian peacekeepers were visible in and around Mitrovica on Sunday.

Under new regulations that were meant to take effect on Aug. 1, ethnic Serbs living in villages in northern Kosovo would have had to apply for license plates ...

Serbia and Kosovo fought a brutal war between 1998 and 1999 that ended with the involvement of NATO in a U.S.-backed bombing campaign against Serbian territory. Members of the Kosovo Liberation Army were also accused of committing war crimes against ethnic Serbs in Kosovo and those they viewed as collaborators. Western countries and NATO became involved, bringing the parties together in France in February 1999 to negotiate a truce. The creation of the force was approved by a U.N. Security Council resolution. Albin Kurti, Kosovo’s prime minister, accused the protesters of trying to “destabilize” Kosovo and charged that Serbia was orchestrating “aggressive acts” during the protests. Kosovo’s allies, including the United States and European Union, called for calm and urged Pristina to delay implementation of the new rules. Another rule would have forced Serbian nationals visiting Kosovo to get an additional entry-exit document from Kosovar authorities at the border. Serbia imposes a similar rule on Kosovars seeking to cross its borders. Since the 1998-99 war, some in that population had used Serbian license plates with a different status. Authorities in Kosovo tolerated the dual-track system to preserve the peace but said last year they would no longer do so. Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in February 2008, but Serbia still considers Kosovo its province. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said, “We have never been in a more difficult situation.”